


Drowning Blue

by Zaylo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blackouts, Blood, Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Concussions, Dehydration, Drowning, F/M, Friendship, G/T, GT, Headaches & Migraines, Humpback Whale, Hurt Animal, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Leviathan Lance, Leviathan Mer Lance, Leviathans, M/M, MerMay, MerMay 2018, Merlance, Merman Lance, Mermay voltron, Shipwrecks, Spears, Starvation, Voltron mermay, Whale Mer Lance (Voltron), giant lance, giant mermaid, giant mermaid lance, giant tiny - Freeform, humpback whale lance, marine biologist allura, marine biologist keith, marine biologist shiro, mermaid lance, mermaid whale lance, migraines, whale lance, whale mermaid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-03 10:49:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14567391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaylo/pseuds/Zaylo
Summary: Keith is a marine biologist given the assignment to head out to sea for a week and study whales. Things take a turn for worse as a massive storm overwhelms his boat and he is thrown way off course with no way of finding his way back home. And unlikely friend appears and decided to help the poor guy.My contribution to mer-may 2018!Also, did I mention that Lance is a giant whale based mermaid?





	1. Deep Blue Calling

Keith was startled awake by the sounds of papers being slapped down on his cluttered desk harshly. Sitting up quickly, the dark-haired young adult looked around the dimly lit room he had taken the unplanned nap it. The office room was small, windows covered by a thick tarp to keep the light out. Trash was littered all over the floor and desk, along with a few old files and folders, and even some old photo's. 

Rubbing the sleep and crust from his eyes, Keith looked up to see a taller male leaning over the desk to squint down at him with both a curious and irritated look with warm brown eyes. It was Shiro, probably come to give him the 'dad talk' about sleeping on the job. Well, if he even considered this a job.

Like his adoptive brother, Keith worked at a marine biology facility. It served mostly as an aquatic rescue, however. College students often came into the building work with the injured or impaired animals for a project or such. Keith was one of those students but had the pleasure of having a family member work here, thus getting him an easy job.

"I've told you a million times before, so I don't think I have to say it again," Shiro said with a teasing and knowing smile. 

"Yeah yeah. don't sleep in the office chairs or your boss will get mad. Not like she'll do anything though. Aren't you dating her or something?" Keith replied snarkily, sitting up in the stiff spinny chair. Shiro looked about ready to say something but was cut off when Keith yelped in surprise, chair tipping a bit too far back. He caught the edge of the desk and pulled himself forward before he fell all the way. It had fallen backward more than once during his numerous nap times, but that didn't stop him. Once recovered, Keith spoke. "I had-"

"You had homework last night so you procrastinated and then stayed up late to do it last minute?" The older man filled in, looking around the filthy room with a grimace. "I know you're busy with your classes and all, but if you did assignments right after you got them, you would have time to have a normal sleep schedule. And maybe even time to clean up a little bit." The remark caused Keith to lower his eyes away from Shiro's gaze and to bite his lip. He knew Shiro was right, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to do that. 

Whenever his classes were finished the young violet-eyed boy would race down to the docks, climb into one of the facility's smaller boats, and drift among the waves. The ocean had always fascinated him to no end. The neverending crystal blue water held endless possibilities. The ocean was an alien world that was extremely mysterious and deadly yet so very beautiful at the same time, which is why he had eagerly accepted when Shiro offered him a job in a marine biologist study organization. What he hadn't expected was that his job would be sorting out paperwork for fish food on a daily basis. 

And so he took the boring time to make up for lost sleep. Shiro didn't seem to appreciate that very much, but Keith swore he was just using his time the best possible advantage.

"I'm just worried about you. You know that. But what you're doing is something that I have to intervene in. I know that sounds stern and I might sound like a complete ass to you right now but you need to spend your time more wisely. Your grades and this job are what you need to focus on, not sitting in a boat and sleeping all of the time." Ouch, wow okay that was a bit harsh, even coming from Shiro. He knew that Keith had trouble focusing on things, so why did he never acknowledge that?

"I'm just tired, ok? And not just physically." Keith stated, slouching further into his chair. He didn't feel up to arguing with Shiro brother today. It was just one of those days for him. "I just want a break. From school, from this boring as hell job. I just want to do something that I want to do, not what everyone else wants me to do." With the explanation out of the way, Keith looked up to Shiro as he waited to see the disappointed stare from his closest friend and brother. 

Instead, there was a gentle smile. "Well, this conversation would have been a lot easier if you had said that to start. Here." With his robotic prosthetic hand, Shiro handed Keith the small folder of papers that he had slapped onto the desk when he first woke the grouchy college student up. "Believe it or not I actually came here to give you this, not to harp on you for napping or slacking."

Keith sat up in the old chair, curiosity peaking a bit. "What is it?" He asked, talking the manilla folder and opened it to examine the thin paper contents.

"It's one of my assignments. Not a super important one, so I figured I'd see if you'd want it or not." Shiro watched with an amused look in his eyes and Keith groaned and rolled his own.

"So you're trying to make me feel better about having too much work, by giving me more work?" He questioned. "No offense but that's the dumbest plan I've ever heard," Keith commented, holding up the file he had yet to read.

"Trust me, just take a look at the documents and let me know your answer about it, okay?" Shiro asked as he turned to leave the musty office room. Opening the door he let the light flood in and the musty smell flood out. 

"Fine, whatever." Letting himself slouch back into the chair once again, Keith tossed the file onto his desk with a ton of other old papers that had been abandoned. His aim was just a tad off, however, and the file landed on the corner of another pile, and the whole thing was sent toppling. 

"Shit!" Keith swore as he dove for the falling pile in hopes of catching it. Lck was against him as his sleeve got stuck in the crook of the old beaten up chair, and he tripped, the pile, the chair, and himself all slamming into the floor simultaneously. On his way down he had a nice thwack to the head from the corner of his desk. A cloud of dust flew up around the fallen body, proving Shiro's statement about the mess even further. "Damn it...." The lump on the floor muttered with anger.

Sitting up, Keith rubbed his head where he had hit it, grumbling under his breath. He paused when his violet eyes landed on the very file that had caused the fall in the first place. It lay wide open on top of the pile, pages scattered but all in the same area. But what had caught his eye was the photo sitting on top and ion the middle.

It was a photo of a massive humpback whale just after a mighty leap from the depths. It's damp skin shimmering in the light that the picture had been taken in with shimmering liquid splashing around it in massive waves of foamy sea water. The whale's mouth was open as if it had been bellowing with joy as the playful activity. It was beautiful. 

But why was it in Shiro's assignment file?

Curiosity peaking once again, Keith crawled over to the scattered papers and gathered them into a neat stack. Most of the files were pictures, leaving only a few for him to read thankfully. Reading wasn't very interesting to Keith all that much.

Ignoring the rest of the pile, the black haired boy held the files in one hand and fixed his chair with the other. Sitting down once again, He looked at the fine print of the papers he held. The top of the first paper read in bolded letters 'Humpback whale research expedition'. An expedition? Why would Shiro give him info for this?

Reading further, he read that it was just a side expedition to collect notes. Nothing too important all in all. Once he got the second page, his eyes widened.

The expedition was out in the middle of the ocean and lasted for a week. Just following a pod of whales and recording them for some documentaries. Almost like a vacation to go whale spotting. And Shiro had practically handed it to him on a golden platter. 

Standing up almost as quickly as he had fallen down before, Keith grabbed the folder and quickly tossed the papers and files inside before jumping over his desk and dashing out of the room and into the bright sunlit hallway.

The building was set up in a giant rectangular shape, with the middle of it completely open and full of picnic tables, leaving the hallways out in the open. It was designed mostly to reduce heat buildup, as it did get very hot in the summers and air conditioners were expensive. Keith liked it. It felt less enclosed and more open that way, similar to the feeling he got when out on the ocean.

It also made it easier to get around without getting lost in an endless maze of hallways and doors. This lead to Keith finding Shiro within a few short moments. His adoptive brother was by one of the empty tanks just outside of the facility itself. He was knee deep in the dirty murky water as the well-toned male scrubbed the bottom with a bristled brush. He offered Keith that job at first, but that offer was turned down with a complained of the dirty water.

"Shiro!" He hollered from the edge of the nearly empty pit. The tank was a 20-foot tank but only 1 foot of water remained as his brother cleaned. Hearing his name, Shiro turned around and looked up at the one who had called him. The white floof of hair above his forehead was slicked back from the water, a few strands hanging loose here and there showing how hard he had been working.

Smirking, Shiro pointed to the files Keith was holding. "I take it you actually read something I gave you for once?" He teased with a light chuckle, earning another annoyed groan from the shorter male above him.

"Yeah. I did." He replied. "Let me get this straight though before I go accepting or declining it." He took a deep breath. "You're giving me a week to myself, to go out on a boat on my own into the middle of the ocean to study whales?" He asked. "It's basically telling me to do what I usually do in my free time."

"Yup. But this time you'll actually get paid for it, and have a valid excuse to do that and not go to your classes. I'm not telling you to skip your classes or anything. Hell, you could take the time on that boat to catch up on some of your late work if I had any say in it."

It really wasn't a bad idea. It gave Keith exactly everything he wanted AND needed in one big happy bundle. Freetime to himself out on the open, beautiful ocean, and time to get caught up on his assignments without worry. And he could sleep in too if he wanted. This wouldn't be his first time on an expedition so he knew that sleep was good when the entire ocean was rocking him back and forth like a sleeping child in a mothers arms. If it were an option Keith would have chosen to sleep on a boat every night. 

"Is Allura ok with me taking this assignment?" He asked. Allura was the one who ran the facility. She was kind, yes. But mostly to the animals. When it came to people she could come off as intimidating. She wanted things done her way and as efficient and fast as possible. Which is why Keith was surprised she hadn't fired him yet. He was a slacker and they both knew it.

"I spoke with her already and we both agreed that a break like this will do a lot of good for you. As long as you start actually going over that paperwork when you get back. It might not seem like it but we actually need those feeding records sorted." He stated with a light chuckle. "So, you up for it?" 

Keith didn't even have to think, for he already knew his desired answer the moment he had seen the whale photo laying atop the pile of scattered sheets of paper. "Hell yeah. I'm in." The boy stated with a huge smile. "Now get up here so I can hug you for being the best bro in the entire universe." 

Letting out a laugh, Shiro abandoned the scrub brush and made his way over the ladder at the side of the drained tank before climbing up to meet Keith at the top. Once up there, Shiro sighed with a smile and opened his arms and the shorter male gladly opened his own before trapping his brother in a gentle hug. 

Everyone's hugs were a bit different and special. Keiths were gentle and short. Never going overboard but the affection was still there. Shiro's hugs were gentle and tended to last longer than Keiths. Everyone swore Shiro was magical or something and that he gave the best hugs right along side of Hunk. Hunks hugs were the best by far, lasting however long you needed them too and they were always a good thing, no matter the mood. And Pidge? Pidge just didn't do hugs unless it was her brother. But those usually ended in wrestling matches. 

"Now," Shiro stated, pulling away from the embrace and planting his flesh hand on Keith's shoulder. "Go get ready for your trip. I already have the boat ready, but you still need clothes and food and whatever homework you decide to bring. Get some rest tonight and then you can head out in the morning." He informed. Keith nodded before turning and speedwalking back the way he came. "See you in the morning!" The buff male shouted to him just as he banished around a corner.

Once out of sight, Keith let his excitement go wild and he dashed the rest of the way back to his office. Once there, he barged in and nearly tripped over the stack of papers still on the floor, momentarily forgotten. With a short muffled grumble, he grabbed his bag and dashed back out of the door. 

Within a few short moments he was on his motorcycle and on his way home for the night to pack, get ready, and hopefully get a good nights sleep for once before the week started.

 

\----The next morning----

 

Keith hadn't been able to sleep at all that night, despite the fact that he had even gone to bed early. The boy was far too excited to close his eyes and he knew he would get some decent sleep on the trip, so it seemed pointless to keep trying after the first few restless hours. He ended up just going over the assignment files and watching whale documentaries all night long. Shiro didn't exactly approve, but he couldn't exactly force Keith to sleep either.

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Shiro asked for the tenth time. He and Keith were currently packing up the last of the gear onto the boat. It was a bit larger than your average fishing boat, and much nicer looking as well. The logo for the marine facility was scripted in a fancy curved letter in bright neon blue on the front end of it with a few dark blue stripes running down the sides and to the back end where the stuff was being loaded on.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Besides isn't the reason I'm doing this because you thought I needed some alone time?" Keith questioned, hoisting a box sound recording machines onto the deck.

"I don't think, Keith. I KNOW you need some alone time. Still, I do worry about you being in the middle of the ocean on your own. Anything could go wrong." ANd there he went again. Shiro had a habit of going into what Keith and the others like to call 'dad mode'. When like this, Shiro would point out the small details of what could possibly go wrong. Even if it was his own idea he would pick out the little hazardous things.

"Everything has a chance of going wrong. Doesn't mean it will. Besides, you and Allura already checked for weather and currents and stuff like that. You guys packed this boat with enough supplies to keep a whole crew alive for months. I'll be fine." Tucking the last box into place and tieing it down with a tight cord, Keith turned to face Shiro who was standing with his arms crossed and a slightly saddened look on his face. It was the kicked puppy look.

"Just be careful, ok?" The words came out so soft and so quietly it caused Keith's shoulders to sag a bit. With a small smile, he walked over to Shiro and the two engaged in yet another hug.

"I'll be careful. If anything you've taught me stuck, it's how to not die." The small joke had Shiro laughing a bit, making Keith feel a bit better. He would not be the reason to make Shiro cry. That was a big no-no. If anyone made Shiro upset they would get an earful from Allura. 

"Well, that's good I suppose. Remember to radio us if you need anything." Shiro explained. "It should work no matter where you are, but if it's cloudy you might get some interference." Releasing Keith from the hug, He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. It was a habit of his everytime they finished a hug, but the lingering touch was nice so neither of them said anything about it. The bond they had was unbreakable, and the little things are what made the bond strength between them. 

"Sure thing." With one last quick and short hug, Keith turned and walked onto the boat. Shiro stepped back from the edge of the doc and moved to help untie the rope holding the floating vehicle to the shore. Once the knot was undone he tossed to the Keith, who caught it with ease and rolled it up to be stored away. "See you in a week!" He called to his brother as the current already started tugging him away from the doc.

"Don't forget to put the ladder down if you go swimming!" Shiro reminded, waving to Keith with his metal hand, and leaning on the doc with his flesh one. "And try not to get stung by any jellyfish!"

Keith chuckled and rolled his eyes at the joking warnings. He knew to take them seriously though. The last time he got stung by a jellyfish didn't end too well for him. Or the jellyfish in that matter. 

"I'll be fine, you should worry more about yourself! Without me around you going to be stuck with Allura for the whole week." Keith reminded, having to shout over the sound of the motor of the boat turning on. 

Keith watched a flash of fear cross over Shiro's face with a light bout of laughter. Sure he and Allura were a thing but that didn't make the white-haired tyrant any less terrifying to the one-armed man. 

Now out of vocal range, Keith waved his goodbye to Shiro who waved back enthusiastically. What a dweeb. But he was the one dweeb that had taken Keith in when no one else would, and he owed Shiro everything for that. He wouldn't have gotten into a decent college, wouldn't have this job, hell he even doubted that he would have a home at all. And thanks to one generous person he had everything. 

And Keith had no idea how to return the favor. He doubted he ever would be able to.

 

\---Later that day--

 

A few hours later and Keith was no longer able to see the shoreline he had set out from. And it was perfect. Gentle waves and currents rocked the boat as it cut through the water to its destination, lulling Keith into a state of relaxation. While he steered, the violet eyes scanned the vast horizon, examining the paradise he had always loved. It was things like this Keith wished he could do all of the time.

A lot of other people in this situation would choose to listen to music or read. But Keith merely stood there as he watched the waves and listened to the sound of wind and water collide. To him, that was the music. The waves were the beat and the winds were the lyrics. The noise from the boat interfered a bit, and to him, it was like a slight static to a radio. Annoying to an extent but didn't necessarily ruin the song.

It was a clear day outside, only a few small puffs of white floating lazily in the sky It was too far from and for seagulls or pelicans to be around so the sky was empty of any life. The only things out here were Keith and the boat.

And it was perfect. 

Deciding now was a good time for a lunch break and maybe a small nap, Keith cut the engine and walked out from the small compartment and into the streaming sunlight. It had warmed up a bit since that morning so Keith had donned a tank top and knee high shorts. His pale skin practically reflected the sunlight, showing just how much he needed to go outside more often. Maybe if he was lucky enough he would go home with a bit of a tan to show off. 

Walking to the other side of the boat, his bare feet barely made a sound as they gently tapped the sun warmed wooden deck below. He had helped clean and repair this boat on multiple occasions with Shiro and Hunk after it was used quite often, so he knew the small ship like the back of his hand. The small scratch in the wood at the helm, a loose floorboard in the back that he tripped on at first, the mismatched paint from covering up scuff marks on the front, and the old boat horn which had yet to be removed. A new one had been installed, but Keith insisted on keeping the old one as every now and then there would be a birds nest in it.

He had checked before even packing up his stuff onto the boat as he didn't want to risk bringing baby birds to sea by accident. It had happened one time with Allura and when she returned a very angry seagull was waiting for her. 

Chuckling at the memory, Keith popped open a red cooler to grab a water bottle from it along with a sandwich the Shiro himself had made. God, he could be such a dad friend at times. Everyone could always count on him for having snacks or band-aids right when you needed one. It was rather impressive and handy while a bit spooky at the same time. Keith had never seen Shiro buy band-aids so where the heck was he getting them?

Tossing the thought aside, for now, bare feet carried him across the deck once more only this time it was to the front of the boat. He leaned on the railing and opened his lunch, taking a deep breath of the salty air before digging in. Yup, definitely nap time after this. 

"I could get used to this." Keith breathed out with the words quietly to himself. His voice sounded so small in the endless expanse of water, no walls or buildings to echo it back to him. In truth, it was humbling almost. He alone was so small in a world of water so big, so insignificant compared to the mighty waves and currents. He was like a grain of sand in the ocean. Pushed around with a gentle embrace to guide him to his destination.

A splash off to the boys left startled him a bit, catching him off guard and nearly making him drop his sandwich on the side of the boat. Regaining his posture, Keith cautiously peered over the side of the boat. At a first glance, he saw nothing. It wasn't until he saw a small grey mass speeding up from the depths that he realized what it was.

He spluttered and fell backward onto the deck when he was squirted in the face with a stream of water and the surprise of a loud squeal. Sandwich now soaked and long gone, Keith sat up with an annoyed growl that dissolved into a small bubbly laughter. It was a pod of dolphins. The curious little thing must have seen his boat and wanted to have some fun with him. 

Excitement peaking, Keith dashed the back end of the boat where Shiro had put a cooler of small fish for occasions just like this. Dolphins were always a welcome surprise to everyone, so when they saw them they took the opportunity to bond with them.

He grabbed the small cooler and moved it down the small platform that hung just a foot above the water. Taking a half frozen fish from the cooler Keith stuck both hand and fish into the chilly saltwater and splashed around to get the ocean mammals attention. The effect was immediate as a pod of what looked like 8 dolphins made themselves known, squeaking and clicking with excitement at the discovery of a new land walking friend. If Keith had to guess he would have assumed that this particular pod had come in contact with humans before seeing as they had no fear in him or the boat. Which means that they knew there were treats.

"Well hello there." He said in a quiet tone. "This what you're looking for?" Holding up the fish for the dolphins to see, a chorus of squeaks was given as an answer. With a light chuckle, Keith tossed the fish into the water. One of the smaller ones caught it before it even his the surface of the ocean. Laughing, Keith tossed another fish to the hungry mouths.

With a smile Keith let his feet dangle in the water as he fed the hungry creatures. They occasionally nipped at his toes, but never once bit him. It was moments like these that made Keith think that animals were in many ways better than people.

 

\---Later---

 

Keith had run out of fish after the first hour of playing with his newfound ocean friends, but in that time he had taught them how to clap their flippers like an applause. Maybe when he got back to the facility in a week he could convince Allura to let him work with the dolphins there. 

The pod had gone back the way the came from, leaving Keith with a huge smile and a good mood but very tired. The lack of sleep from the night before was starting to catch up with him so he deemed it nap time before he got moving again. The current where he was riding with wasn't quite strong enough to pull him off course if he only took an hour long nap. 

Stashing the cooler back where he had gotten it from. Keith let out a small yawn before heading below deck. The deck was hidden with a small hatch behind the small area where steering was. One time he had managed to trap Pidge down there by sitting on the hatch to convince her to give his phone back which she had stolen for blackmail. What for? He didn't even remember at this point. Something stupid probably.

The inside of the boat resembled any normal small home. It had 3 main rooms. The first cozy lounge area with a small couch and a table with 2 seats against the right wall with a window just above it. The window lets light in that reflected from the water. The reflected light cast white streaks and patterns across the ceiling, mesmerizing anyone who saw it. Next, to the couch, there was a small fridge to keep snacks and such. The rest of the food was stored in a compartment closet behind the couch. 

The second room was the one Keith was looking for. The bedroom. It was roughly the same size as the lounge, but with a skylight instead of a window and it had 2 sets of bunk beds. The third room was the bathroom which was a part of the bedroom. It was small, but it worked.

Unfortunately for Keith, the beds weren't as comfy as they looked. And so he put his own plan into action. Walking back to the lounge part, Keith popped open a small compartment hidden in the couch and pulled out a heavy cloth object with thick rope on the ends. A hammock he had made himself a long time ago.

Holding the hammock Keith strut into the bedroom once more and set about hanging up the makeshift bed. He tied the thick cord to each of the bunk beds, suspending the cloth part a few feet off the ground in the middle of the room. Once tied securely, he tested the weight with his hand, pressing down on it firmly. Once he deemed it strong enough, Keith let himself fall backward into the hanging bed. He tucked his body into the folds of fabric, letting one foot stick out and press against the bunk bed. With that foot, he rocked himself back and forth.

He didn't really need too as the waves rocked the boat enough to cause his bed to sway from side to side. Within a few short minutes, the sleep-deprived boy was resting among his dreams peacefully.

 

\--- Sometime later---

 

Keith awoke from his 'nap' a bit groggy, not used to getting good sleep like that. Eyes still closed, he stretched with a wide and very loud yawn to express how rested he felt. Sitting up, Keith opened his eyes to find that he couldn't see very well. There was no way it was dark outside already, was there?

Baffled and confused Keith made his way upstairs, feet still bare. Opening the hatch he was shocked when he was hot with a gust of chilly air. It was unusual because around this time of year the air should be warm even during the night.

Once upon the main deck, Keith donned a light grey sweater and check the time in the steering area. He had only been asleep for about two hours and was still on course, so why was it so dark?

A deep rumble from way off in the distance caught his attention, causing him to whip around in surprise. The sky above was clouded over, blocking much sunlight from reaching the ocean surface. But what worried him was the massive wall of cloud and lighting off on the horizon. The deep rumble had been thunder then. Shiro had said the weather was clear though, so how was there a storm?

Considering himself lucky, Keith praised the fact that the storm wasn't directly on top of him and only the outskirts reached him. It wasn't raining where he was, just cold and cloudy. It was rather annoying actually and he hoped it passed by and was gone by tomorrow. 

Deciding it was best to keep moving, for now, Keith went back to the steering area and powered the boat up. Luckily for him, his course and location were the opposite directions of the massive sea storm. But it still had him on edge as the storm shouldn't have been there in the first place, so who knew what it would do next. Mother nature was unpredictable.

Looking at the radar and compass on the dash in front of him, Keith noticed they were a bit twitchy and only pointed in a general direction instead of dead ahead. The storm was magnetic. 

"Shit." He muttered under his breath. That meant it was number one priority to lose that storm now. If it got too close he would be as good as lost. "So much for getting a lot of sleep tonight." If he wanted to lose the storm soon he would have to captain the boat all night. No time for breaks because if he slept tonight the massive cloud would be on top of him and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Grabbing the radio, he clicked it on and tuned it to the facilities station. "Altea Marine Center, this is Keith Kogane calling from research boat 3, do you copy?" He asked into the small machine. He would ask Shiro about the storm and see if it was even safe to keep going or if he should turn around and go back. But his answer was only static, and so he tried again. "Altean Marine center, this is Keith Kogane, do you copy?"

More static. Fuck. This wasn't good.

"Shiro, Allura, do you copy?" His voice was louder and a bit more panicked now. "Can anyone hear me?" No answer. "Damn it..." He grumbled, putting the radio back. He had to make the choice on his own. Go back now before the storm got too bad, or keep going in hopes of outrunning it?

Being the reckless child he was, Keith chose to keep going. This was his chance to finally get a vacation and he wasn't about to chicken out now. He could make it. There's no way he would give up because of a bit of rain. Hell no.

"This should be fun," Keith stated sarcastically as the boat moved forwards once again, cutting through the choppy water. Since it was getting darker quickly with the clouds and soon to be setting sun, Keith relied more on the radar than looking ahead. It wasn't soon after that small cold drips of rain started pelting down.

With a heavy weight in his mind, Keith realized that the storm was moving faster than he was. This wasn't good. But it's not like he could turn around now. The storm had moved and now blocked his path back home so he had no choice but to keep going. 

"This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?" He asked himself as the rain steadily grew heavier and heavier. If Shiro had been with him then maybe he could have found a way to avoid the storm completely, but Keith couldn't read the weather like his brother could. There was a lot of things that Shiro could do that Keith could only wish to do.

Not dying in the middle of the ocean was now one of the things on that ever-growing list.

As the wind started to pick up, Keiths worrying only grew. The waves were steadily getting larger as well, tossing the small boat back and forth. Thankfully all of the supplies were all still strapped down do nothing went flying. Turning around, Keiths eyes widened and his heart jumped, stopping for a moment. 

It had only been a few minutes and the storm was right behind him and towering miles high, blocking nearly all light. The sun had yet to set all the way but the sky was nearly black. Rain fell like stones now, pelting the boat with sharp tapping noises. Thanks to the wind the roof above Keith did nothing and he was pelted with dollops of water from every direction, soaking him to the bone.

With chattering teeth, Keith abandoned trying to escape the storm and now focused on keeping the boat from tipping over. Water flooded the deck but since all of the edges and railing were just like stair railings, the water just ran right back into the ocean.

"Shit the hatch!" Leaving the steering wheel behind, the young male turned around and dashed the short distance to the still open hatch, slipping a few times on the way. Looking down into the house like area, he saw that it was a water of the way flooded. "Damn it!" He hollered, jumping down into the lower deck. Once there he splashed into the murky mess. 

In the knee,-deep water random objects floated about, like sealed supplies and stray bed sheets. Wading through the mess to the back room, Keith flipped the draining pump on. Thankfully it was still running and began pumping the excess water out back into the sea. That was one thing taken care of. Next, close the hatch and keep the boat from capsizing. 

Turning around he quickly walked back the way he came, tossing object aside and onto the beds to keep them from clogging the drain. A sharp pain dug into the boy's foot and he fell with a cry of shock, spluttering when dirt water flooded his mouth. One of the dishes had broken and a sharp of it was now lodged in his foot, bleeding profusely. A string of curse words left his mouth and he stood back up on one foot. Water was still raining in from above and the boat was still being tossed too and fro. 

"Come on already!" He yelled to no one in particular. With a grunt of effort and a cry of pain, Keith ripped the sharp from his foot and limped back up the above deck. Once there, he sealed the hatch and kept any more water from getting in. Ripping a corner off of his soaked sweater he quickly tied the tattered cloth around the hold in the base of his foot, temporarily taking care of it.

With those issues taken care of, Keith carefully made his way back to the steering area. Getting thrown off now would mean the end of his life. The wheel was spinning like crazy as the boat was whipped around, nearly tipping multiple times with no one in control. Reaching out, he caught the steering wheel with his bare hands, successfully stopping it but also severely bruising his hands. Next time, he was bringing Shiro with him.

If there ever was a next time.

A deafening roar had Keith frantic as he looked around. Thunder boomed above and lighting could be seen in the darkness of the raging storm, but the noise didn't come from them. 

To his horror, Keith's eyes widened once again as he saw a massive wave coming right at his ship. The wind fueling its growth caused the roaring sound as it grew larger and larger, dwarfing the rest of the waves. To him, it was a wall of death ready to crush him.

His final thought as the wave came crashing down on him was him wondering if anyone had heard him screaming.

 

\---Unknown amount of time later---

\--Day one--

Blinding light burned through closed eyelids, sending Keith into a world of bright red. Entire body sore and tingling painfully, he wondered if he is what death felt like. If so, then death really sucked. Now he really wished that he had told Shiro no to the vacation.

Sitting up with a groan and a splitting headache, Keith came to the conclusion that he wasn't dead, just in a lot of pain. Eyes still closed, he reached up and rubbed the back of his head. Violet eyes snapped open when he felt something warm and sticking. Looking at his hand he found it coated with fresh blood. When had he hit his head?

In fact, he couldn't recall anything that had happened. He was trying to outrun a storm, and it had started raining, but what had happened after that?

Looking around, he received a slap of reality to the face. While the weather had cleared up, Keith now wished he was still back in the storm.

The storm was completely gone and the sun was high in the sky, giving Keith a clear view of what was left behind. His boat had been torn to shreds, only half of it remaining. In a cruel stroke of luck, it had been the top half that was gone which left him something that was able to float. Somehow he had ended up on the front helm, the one part of the deck that wasn't completely destroyed by the harsh waves and wind. 

Moving to stand up, Keith was painfully reminded of the damage done to his foot. The makeshift bandage was completely gone, but the bleeding was slow and sluggish and not flowing like it was before. 

"Ok, think. Remember what Shiro taught you....um...?" His mind was foggy (Probably a concussion) but he could faintly recall the training for what to do in a situation like this. 

"Ok.....uh." Looking around, Keith deemed the boat remnants stable enough to worry about later. Injuries were next on the list. To keep himself calm he voiced what he did out loud to himself. "Head injury, possible concussion or brain damaged, crippled foot," He poked at his sore body, wincing when he found a tender spot. "Bruised ribs, damaged ego, and a low chance of serving this damned situation." Keith chuckled to himself. It was almost ironic. One of the few things he loved was going to be the death of him.

Luckily his sweater had somehow stayed on and was fairly dry. That could only mean that he had been out long enough for the storm to stop, clear completely, and for the sun to dry his clothes. A full day at minimum. Damn.

Tearing off one of the sleeves he used the strip and tied it around his head, covering the gaping wound. As far as he would tell his skull was intact and not in any way damaged. Head wounds always bled a lot but most of the time they weren't too serious. With the leftover fabric, he re-wrapped his foot before attempting to stand once again.

He reached to grab the iron railing that was wrapped around the entire deck, only to meet open air. Turning to look, he found that the railing had been flatted down to the deck itself, looking nearly as if it had been folded. Water and wind were powerful, but only a solid object could have done that. "What the hell?" Keith asked himself. There was no land in sight so he couldn't have crashed into anything that solid. Maybe an animal had gotten caught in the storm and he hit it?

Too many questions had his head spinning and he nearly passed out again. Taking a moment to clear his mind, Keith tried to stand again without the railing this time. 

"Ok, supplies. Food, water, and a god damned radio would be nice too." He stated. Keith limped over to where the gaping hole in the ship was and peered inside. It was mostly hollow as if the entire interior was flushed out. He couldn't see any of the packed supplies anywhere, meaning the storm had taken those. a few miscellaneous objects floated around in the waters around the half damaged boat. It was mostly driftwood and broken boat parts though. 

So he had no supplies. No way to get fresh water or food. "Great. Fucking fantastic. " In a short spout of anger, Keith used his good foot to kick a stray chunk of plastic into the ocean. Not good for the environment, but the angered victim could care less about that right now.

Sitting back down, Keith let nausea and a headache have a chance to go away before he threw up or passed out. "Just....calm down. Patience yields focus..." He whispered to himself. "What do I have to do to not die? Simple enough of a question." Keith spoke to himself again. The thought of Shiro caused a spike of raw emotion to dig into his heart, but he would be damned if he started crying at a time like this. Emotions could wai

Standing back up, he scanned the area for anything useful. The driftwood might be useful to make a spear or a cheap fishing rod, and maybe there was still supplies floating around somewhere. Everything was waterproof so if he found a crate everything inside would be fine. But everything had been thrown off the boat by the looks of it.

And that triggered a thought. How was he still on the boat? He hadn't been strapped to anything and yet as the ship was torn apart, he was still in one piece, alive, and on the one sturdy part of the boat? It just didn't seem possible. This whole situation just seemed to get weirder and weirder.

Favoring his injured foot, Keith climbed down from the deck and picked his way down into the half-flooded damaged part of the boat. It was harder with bare feet as he carefully stepped among splintered pieces of snapped support beams and broken glass. One of the bunk beds remained bolted to the crumbling wall, so he snagged the damp sheet from it and started tossing pieces of driftwood onto it. With a tremendous effort, he hauled the wood up onto the deck, lungs heaving from exertion. 

His foot had started bleeding heavily again, making him lightheaded from the loss of the precious red liquid. The sun was starting to set anyways, so he plopped down where he had woken up earlier that day. Falling asleep wouldn't be too hard as he felt his body wearing down on its own. He would probably just pass out but it was close enough to sleep.

Resting his head on top of the folded remnants of his sweater, Keith let himself drift off to a dreamless state of sleep. Before he completely blacked out he heard soft splashing noises from the side of the shipwreck.

\--Day 2--

When he awoke the next morning, it was to the sharp tangy metallic scent of his own blood. He felt it on his face and Keith quickly realized his makeshift pillow was soaked red from his head wound. That wasn't good at all. If he kept losing blood at this rate he would bleed out within the next few hours. At this point, he was tempted just to let death take him seeing as it was inevitable anyway, but his stubbornness kept him from doing that.

Weak from hunger thirst and blood loss, Keith couldn't even stand up. He had to resort to crawling on his hands and knees. This was really really bad. The moment he moved he could feel the blood trickle down the back of his neck and his spine, causing him to shudder in disgust and horror. 

But it was replaced by a pleasant surprise when he noticed an addition to his collection of gathered stuff. Next to the measly pile of driftwood, sat a rather large bright orange tote. One of the ones Shiro had helped him pack back at the facility. But how the hell had it gotten up here on the boat? It took 2 men to lift a tote that size, and he was pretty sure he was the only one out here. And it was sitting too perfectly to have been flung up there by a wave. 

"What the hell." He stated. It was no longer a question, but a declaration of his confusion. But questions could wait. that tote could be his savior right now. Dragging himself over to it, Keith popped the small clip holding it shut and then flung it open. With a strained heave, the injured boy lifted himself on the edge of the box to peer inside. He needed to hug Shiro if he saw him again.

"Thank you, Shiro!" His voice called to the sky. It was a box full of basic supplies. A few food rations in waterproof packaging, a water filter, a flare gun box, a flashlight with batteries, a first aid kit, and a thermal blanket. There was only enough food for a few days but Keith could stretch that for a week if needed. It had been his brother's idea to pack all of the extra stuff for occasions like this. If he hadn't? Keith didn't want to think about that right now.

Hastily he grabbed the first aid kit and one of the small food packets. With one hand he opened the first aid kit and the other he held the pack to his mouth and used his teeth to tear it open. As he munched on the protein bar, Keith dug into the kit looking for anything to clot the wound on his head as it was still steadily trickling down his back. 

Grabbing a small packet of fine white dust, he smiled when he read that it was a clotting powder. Shoving the rest of the bar of food into his mouth, Keith got to work. He dumped the power onto a small thing of cotton gauze before pressing it to the wound on his head. It stung like fire and it burned like hell, but it would save his life. Holding it with one hand he used the other to wrap a long string of gauze wrap to hold the other part in place.

Once the white wrap secured in place, he let out a sigh of relief when he felt the blood stop flowing from his head. He still felt woozy and probably needed a nap, but now that he had this crate of supplies there was stuff he needed to do.

Using the leftover gauze he properly bandaged his foot and then took some painkillers. Probably not a good idea of how low his blood pressure was from the continuous bleeding, but he could care less as long as the pain stopped. 

With his life in the green, for now, Keith pulled the rest of the stuff from the box. The whole time he stayed sitting so he wouldn't get another headache. 

Grabbing the flare kit, he opened it up to find 3 flare sticks and a flare gun with 3 shots. It was risky, but he decided to fire one right now in case there was anyone close by. He wouldn't fire another one until he heard or saw someone else.

Using the box, Keith hoisted himself up to where he was sitting on the lid, half slouched. He loaded one of the flares into the small orange gun, pointed it to the sky, and fired. Anyone in a 30 miles radius would be able to see it. If there was someone close enough to see it anyways. 

Carefully he put the flare gun back in the case and clipped it shut for he would not risk it getting wet or broken. 

Keith's stomach cramped up, reminding him he was still hungry and thirsty so he downed another granola bar and grabbed the water filter. He was about to get filter some ocean water until he realized he didn't exactly have anything to put the clean water it. There were a few water bottles but he didn't want to use those until he absolutely had to. 

"Damn it. Time to improvise. Again." He stated to himself with a crap ton of sarcasm. Digging through the tote once more, he found a plastic baggie that was big enough to hold a few cups of water. It would work for now. 

Daring to stand up, Keith lifted himself from the box lid and nearly blacked out when a wave of pain and nausea washed over him. He screwed his eyes shut and froze in place, begging the sharp stinging in his mind to go away. Eventually, it did, and Keith was left to walk unbothered.

The painkillers helped with his foot, letting him walk with less of a limp to a part of the boat which was mostly submerged. Once close enough he let his body drop, landing on his knees. Since he was still wearing his shorts the water wasn't a big deal. For a moment he paused and let the cool water relax him. Even through the hell he just experienced, the ocean was still a welcome thing in his mind. 

He sat there like that, filter and baggie in his hand as he let his eyes close. He could fall asleep right there if he wanted too, but that wasn't very wise.

A loud noise startled him a bit, snapping Keith out of the trance he had fallen into. The noise was low pitched, almost like a whine. A very deep wailing whine. Wait a minute-

"Whales?" Keith asked out loud to himself. Another wail echoed through the water, sounding muffled by the waves. It was faint, but there was no doubt about it. The noise was coming from a whale. How ironic. The reason he was out here int he first place was to find whales and study them. Only this time the whales had found him first. The situation made Keith chuckle a bit.

"If only you were people." He commented. "Or knew how to get me home. That'd be awesome." Keith dipped the filter into the ocean, filling the capsule with salty water. Once the water started passing through the filter he held the plastic bag beneath it to catch the fresh water trickling from the bottom. 

The whole time the whales, wherever they were, kept singing from the ocean. The noise soothed Keith, helping him to relax and ignore the pain that the painkillers hadn't covered. It helped clear his mind and Keith faintly wondered if this is what people meant when talking about sirens and such. Sirens didn't exist though. Whales did and that was good enough for Keith as their song was enough to lull him into a state of bliss.

Once the bag was as full as it would go without spilling, Keith took a few long gulps from it, quenching his stinging thirst. Once he was satisfied by the lukewarm liquid, he zipped the bag shut and began his return to the deck. He was stopped by a very long, loud and drawn out whale call, this one sounding far closer than the others. It sounded like it was right where he was too.

Suddenly excited and forgetting his entire situation, Keith hurried the side of the boat and looked over the edge, eyes wide as he searched the dark blue waters for any signs of the gentle giant who was singing to him. He heard the call again, but couldn't see anything.

He stayed like that for a few minutes, waiting in hopes, but the whale did not show itself. With a disappointed sigh, he turned to go back to what he was doing. 

A massive splashed could be heard behind him as a massive creature shot out of the water. Keith couldn't get a good look at it because he was suddenly showered with a ton of sea water, successfully drenching him. His stuff was safe though. 

By the time he was able to see again, Keith barley caught the sight of a massive dark grey whale tail vanishes beneath the surface of blue. "Holy shit," Keith said under his own breath. It had the color and shape of a blue whale but had the white speckled underbelly like a humpback. He didn't get to see it's head though so he couldn't be sure.

But still, he had seen what he was looking for and that alone was enough to boost his mood sky high. With a chuckle, he flicked some of the salt water off of his arms and shook out his hair.

For the rest of the day, he spent his time watching for more whales and listening to their songs.

 

\--Day 4--

 

For 3 days, Keith had been scavenging what he could from around the boat. So far he had gathered most if not all of the driftwood within a short swims reach and a few plastic baggies of various supplies. None of them contained food, however. Just things like extra blankets, clothing, some swim gear. He had come across a pair of goggles as well, so that was handy. 

He had even found the old broken boat horn, the one that commonly had nests in it back at the facility. In his free time, Keith had tried fixing it in hopes of maybe answering the whales back. They seemed to be sticking around for the most part which meant two things.

Either he was close to their breeding ground which meant he was close to land, or he was stuck in the current they were riding on which meant he was lost as fuck. He hoped it was the first option. 

His rations were starting to dwindle sooner than he hoped they would. Seeing as he was recovering from major injuries his body needed more energy, therefore he was hungry more often. But he would need to find an alternate food source and soon. Fish was the most obvious answer but he hadn't seen any during his little scavenging trips. 

The only living thing he knew was close was the whales. He had yet to see the one who had jumped near him, and he hoped he would at least one more time before he either died or was found. 

 

\--Day 8--

 

Keith lay on the deck in a fetal position, curled in on himself as his stomach cramped painfully. His food had run out and the effects of hunger were kicking his ass. Water wasn't a problem, but the hunger was too painful to ignore. Spearfishing led to nothing but wasted energy and time as there were no fish near the surface in the water this deep. He still had yet to see the whale again. 

Off in the distance, he could see a few clouds. A storm, but not as large as the one that had stranded him in the first place. It looked like it would be just rain and a bit of wind. Nothing to worry about. Hopefully.

Sitting up, Keith propped his weak body against the half-empty box. Most of the medical supplies had been used up as well for his head. It was starting to heal, but the progress was sluggish now that he was going hungry once again. He felt ready to give up at this point, but Shiro would be mad at him if he did. He didn't want Shiro to be mad. He faintly wondered if his adoptive brother was even looking for him right now. They must have seen the storm on the radar back at the facility so they must have assumed he was dead at this point. 

Looking up, Keith saw the clouds above him slowly growing thicker. A gentle drizzle started to rain down, a cooling relief on the sunburn Keith had accumulated over the past few days. 

And he cried. For the first time during this whole disaster, Keith let himself cry. The salty tears blended with the falling rain as he cried to the sky, begging for answers on why this had to happen to him right when his life was starting to get good. And soon his tears turned into cries that echoed across the rainwater.

He yelled in agony at what had happened to him, why he had to have his life robbed away from him before he could even do anything with it. It was unfair. He hated it. So he yelled, crying out to the sky begging for a second chance and cursing it for ruining his first. 

Slowly Keith sunk down from where he had propped himself up, and curled into fetal position once again, sobbing loudly to himself, It's ok to cry now, he thought. No one was watching or listening. He could be pathetic now and it would mean nothing. No one would hear or see the mess he had become in nothing more than 10 days. 

the wind picked up, howling with him and gently rocking the boat. The rain made the wooden deck beneath him slick and slippery, and occasionally his body would slide a few inches each time the shipwreck rocked back and forth. It was as if death itself was rocking him to sleep. 

Suddenly the whole ship lurched to one side, cutting of Keith's sobs which were quickly replaced with shouts of alarm. With no grip or anything to hold onto, he started to slide to the end of the boat. With the way the current was now, there would be no swimming back to the boat if he fell off.

"No no no no!" He yelled, scrabbling weakly to grab onto anything. With the rails having been crushed, they offered no hold as he slipped right over them, and he was tossed into the sea like a stone in a lake.

The moment Keith's small malnourished body hit the water, the violent current overwhelmed him start started dragging him downwards at an alarming rate. Instincts running on full, he shouted and flailed, trying to get to the surface to no avail. The ocean was stronger than he was. It always had been.

With all of the sobbing and yelling he had done beforehand, it wasn't long before his breath started failing him and his lungs burned for air. He wished to please his lungs but had no way to do it as he sank further and further. Vision starting to fade, black spots began slowly growing in his sight. It wasn't the only thing he saw though.

A large shape moved in front of him, and his first thought was a shark, but the massive shadow was much much larger than that. And yet, it didn't look like a whale either. Most of it didn't anyways. 

It kept swimming closer and closer until Keith could see the large creature fully, and his last breath was spent gasping in both fear and shock.

It was a giant merperson. Only massive, and with a whales tail instead of the typical fishtail people always wrote stories about. Was this the creature that had been singing to him for the past few days? Oh well, he guessed it didn't matter. Whether he was hallucinating or not he would be dead shortly anyways. Or so he thought.

Keith had gone completely limp at this point, brain barely functioning enough to let his gaze follow that of the giant mer as it approached him slowly. He was truly beautiful. A pleasant last sight before he died and moved on from this world. The mer seemed to have other plans for him though.

Giant hands suddenly appeared on either side of Keith, warm and welcoming as they cradled the small helpless human and he found himself at both the creatures and the oceans mercy. He himself was just barely the size of the whale mer's pinky finger. From the silence that deafened Keith, a deep wailing noise came from the creature's chest, so loud and so familiar.

The drowned human felt his whole world shift as the hands closed around him and he felt his body and the hands suddenly fly upwards, taking him and hundreds of gallons water with. After a short moment of stomach-lurching movement, the hands opened up and let the water fall back to the ocean where it belonged. Once the water was gone, that left Keith, coughing and spluttering the salty water from his throat and lungs. Despite it being water, the liquid made his lungs and stomach burn like fire.

Barely conscious, Keith was faintly aware of the giant creature setting his limp body down gently on the deck of his boat. Keith would have been more frightened and wary of the beast, but his brain was mush at this point and all he could do was hack up water weakly and watch his mysterious savior.

Once Keith had been set down, the merman's hands retreated, leaving Keith chilly and sopping wet as the rain still came down from above.

Finally having removed the ocean from his lungs, Keith lay there pathetically on his side in the rain, heaving with every breath as his chest moved up and down weakly. He wanted to sit up, stay awake, and see if the creature could talk and maybe even help him home, but before he could the pain and exhaustion took over, and he blacked out yet again.


	2. Song of the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith meets his savior

\--Day 10--

By this time, Keith had even doubted he would wake up again. But the universe just kept surprising him in many different ways. Having him survive this long, go through hell twice, and meet a giant merperson. What was next? He couldn't even guess at this point with how crazy the last few days were.

A shock of pain through his body had Keith jolting wide awake. The jolt was painful enough, but having to sit up was just as painful. Not having time to examine his surroundings like he usually did, Keith scooted back until he felt the familiar box bump into his back. At least that was still there.

Now propped up, Keith opened his eyes to look around. He was hoping to see his savior from last night, but there was no giant merman to be seen anywhere. He couldn't even remember what the mer even looked like for he had been so close and on the brink of death. Part of him knew it was probably just a hallucination and he never even fell off the boat in the first place, and another part wanted to badly believe that he wasn't alone out here. The conspiracy theorist part of him really hoped that whatever had saved him was real because mermaids were cool as hell.

As if summoned, a splashing noise was heard, and suddenly Keith's vision was filled with a tanned face and the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen. The mer surfaced just next to the boat, easily several times as large as the ship. His face was definitely that of a male with messy short brunette hair and scattered freckles across its nose and cheeks. But its eyes, its eyes were the real attention snatcher.

(Art by Microfroggo on tumblr)

 

The whole eyeball was deep blue with white speckled, iris, pupil, sclera and all. They were beautiful, entrancing, and absolutely full of raw curiosity. It seemed as if both had been trapped in each other gaze, minds full of wonder at the strange creature in front of them.

A loud warbling noise came from the whale's throat, rumbling deeply in a curious tone. the sound shocked Keith a bit, and he wasn't sure how to react. This thing had saved his life, but he didn't know why. So he decided to try asking.

"Uh, hi." He stated, voice rough and weak from having a saltwater scratch it raw. And the yelling had left his voice overused and quiet. The mer head him and tilted it's large head curiously. Keith coughed a few times before speaking again. "C-can you understand me?" He asked, doubting that he would. This thing was obviously a creature of the sea where no human with a language belonged.

The mer made no reply, and he only stared. So it didn't speak English. Great. He'd have to find some other way to communicate with this thing. He doubted it would be helpful though. Keith wasn't going to last very long. No food for this amount of time was definitely starting to show. Even now he wondered if this giant half human half whale was even real. He sure looked real.

Another deep rumble sounded with a low pitched whine as the whale tried to get his attention. Looking up, Keith saw that the whale had somehow placed his large hand on the edge of the boat without him noticing. Seeing as the boat was gently rocking a bit, then he was probably just trying to keep the boat from floating away in the current. It was then that Keith noticed that the hand fit perfectly flat over the crushed railing, as if-

Hold up a gosh dang minute.

Had this thing saved him before? When the first storm hit? Well, if Keith really wasn't hallucinating then it was a huge possibility. There was no chance in hell Keith had stayed on the boat during that storm, so something had to have put him back on there. Like a certain whale merman per say.

Before Keith could question it any further, the whale's other hand came into a view, hundreds of gallons of ocean water falling free as he shook it a bit to dry it. Thankfully, as Keith noticed, the fingernails the creature had were blunt and dull like normal fingernails typically were instead of being giant claws. After he seemed content that his hand was dry enough, the mer moved his it towards Keith. With a startled yelp of surprise, Keith backed away as the hand approached. He couldn't go very far seeing as the deck was so small, be he didn't want to be carelessly grabbed like he was a child's toy either. When he could go no further, Keith squeezed his eyes shut and waited to be snatched up.

When nothing happened, he peeked on eye open to find the mer looking at him almost.....sadly? The hand hovered a few feet away from Keith but did not move any closer. Confused, Keith uncurled from the ball he had tucked himself into unintentionally and looked up to the mighty creature. A new noise came from the whale, more of a low pitched whistle with a few clicks added near the end.

And then Keith understood. Back when he was younger he had caught a small lizard in Shiro's backyard. The little lizard was missing a leg and all Keith wanted to do was hold it close and protect it. It was as if he had a need to constantly be holding the small animal both to look at it in awe and to make sure it was ok.

And that's what the whale was doing now. It just wanted to hold him and get a closer look at him with those massive starry ocean blue eyes. It didn't want to hurt Keith, it just wanted to make sure that the small being he had just saved was ok and to get a closer look at him. The gentle giant was just a little curious, that's all.

And so, Keith relaxed, looking to the hand once again. Wanting to let the mer continue, he made himself seemed as relaxed as possible, even with all of the pain he was in.

Realizing that Keith was ok with being touched, the massive hand came closer and gentle fingertips brushed against the long black hair atop Keith's head. It was petting him. The whole time, Keith realized this would be one hell of a story to tell Shiro if he ever saw him again.

Losing interest in Keiths hair, the giant decided to actually pick him up. With extreme care, one hand was moved behind Keith while the other moved from its spot on the rails to rest in front of him, palm up. The hand behind the injured human gently nudged him forwards until he was successfully sitting on the calloused skin. Ever so slowly, the mer lifted him up from the boat.

To the whale the moment was slow, but it had Keith clinging onto one of the giant fingers that curled around him out of fear of falling. There was mostly water below him but Keith didn't feel like going swimming right now. Through the haze in his mind, he did catch the way that the hands cupped him gently as if he was holding a glass figuring the would shatter at the slightest disturbance.

The surface of the hand was calloused and a bit rough from the seawater, but it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, the hand was rather warm against Keith's own chilly skin. Small hands not even the size of the mer's fingertips gripped the small grooves in the skin to keep himself from falling over.

He had been so focused on not falling and holding on that he did not notice when the when had stopped moving him. A warm breath washed over his small frail body causing him to shudder. Slowly turning around, Keith found those massive blue eyes and a freckled nose just a few feet away from him. When the injured human flinched a bit, the massive eyes blinked and a quiet whine came from the whale's mouth.

Fear dawned over Keith when he saw a faint glimpse of very large and very sharp teeth. One of the teeth was almost as large as his head meaning that the whale mer-creature was probably carnivorous. It's wasn't too far-fetched seeing as there were meat-eating whales like orca's and such that ate other smaller animals. And at this moment Keith was the smaller animal.

But this animal (who was part giant human) seemed to have no interest in eating him. Instead, the second hand moved and a large finger gently prodded at his exposed leg. It then occurred to Keith he was still wearing the same shorts for the past.....however long it had been. His tank top had been tattered and torn in several places but it was still wearable.

A small yelp escaped Keith's lips when the mer nudged his injured foot just a little too roughly. At the sound of the distressed noise, the hand back away instantly and a warbled chirp rang through Keiths ears. And Keith couldn't help but smile a bit through the pain. It was worried about him and that was kind of adorable.

"If only Shiro were here to see you." He said to himself. The whale heard the small commented and made another small noise in response, as if copying him.

Gravity shifted once again and the boy fell backward with a soft 'oof' as the giant lowered him and gently set him back on the shipwreck. Back on a semi-solid surface, Keith leaned against the half-empty supply box and looked up at the face staring down at him. Maybe he could get this thing to help him? The question was how.

"Did you put this here?" Keith asked as loud as his strained voice could go. It caught the giants attention and a soft trill answered him. Raising a hand, Keith pointed to the box he was leaning on. The massive solid blue eyes follow his hand to the box, and another low whistle noise could be heard from the animal's chest.

One of the massive hands returned and for a moment Keith thought he was going to be picked up and carried again. But the whale merely pointed at the box like Keith was, mimicking him. Looking up at the whale, Keith nodded, "Yeah, this. Do you know where any more are?"

While the boy knew the mer could not understand words, he at least hoped he could get the message across. Shiro had done it once with a sea lion when Keith had dropped his phone in one of the pools. Pointing and making noise was enough to get the animal to fetch it for them and Keith hoped it would work with this creature as well.

A massive sigh of relief washed over Keith as the creature seemed to understand what he was asking. With a low pitched wailing noise, the creature backed away from the boat and dove into the deep waters below. And Keith watched in awe as he got a view of just how large this animal was.

As the whale dove, Keith got a view of its entire waist down. It was the same whale that had jumped by his boat a few days ago, with the blue and humpback mixed pattern. But what he hadn't noticed before he now saw with a gasp of horror, because apparently, Keith wasn't the only one hurt in this situation.

Sticking out behind one of the whales front fins was long metal spear twice the lengths of Keiths height. Someone had tried hunting the majestic beast. There was no blood which meant the spear must have been there for a long while now. That was even worse seeing as that meant an infection was immensely possible. If the whale brought back another supply box then maybe he could try and fix that. It was the least he could do seeing as the whale had saved his life at least 3 times now.

That was if it was even ok with him touching the injury, or if he could get to it at all. Keith was still weak from starvation and his own injuries so he doubted he would be able to get into the water to attempt to fix it. He would just have to wait and see.

Exhaustion flowed over the small human once more and he promptly passed out for a second time that day.

 

\--Day 10, nighttime--

 

A gentle prodding to his shoulder accompanied with a low trilling noise dragged Keith from his blackout, giving him enough motivation from curiosity to open his heavy eyelids. By now his once bright violet colored eyes looked more like a dull steely grey with how clouded over they had become. His entire body felt dull at this point. Every breath was painful and sounded forced and ragged, and he doubted he could move anymore.

It was pitch black, meaning that he had woken up sometime in the middle of the night. It was a bit chilly, but not too bad. Or his body had shut down to the point where he couldn't feel if it was cold or not.

Unable to lift his head, Keith turned his eyes to look up the best he could. The merman was there, a hand hovering delicately over the human's small fragile form as if it was unsure what to do. A light blue glow caught Keith's attention and he lifted his head just enough to get a glimpse at the whales face. If he had the energy to gasp then he definitely would have.

The bright blue eyes were glowing brightly as if the galaxies in the night sky above had been trapped in their gaze, and Keith felt as if he were drowning all over again.

Apparently, he had blacked out again and he awoke again a few minutes later to a worried rumble from his ocean friend. Another gentle nudge prompted him to peel his eyes open again. This time he saw something in front of him. It was a supply box, one that had yet to be opened. So the merman had gotten the idea.

A swell of joy and relief gave Keith the small energy boost to reach for the box. It was close enough for him to get a weak grip on the clasp holding it shut, but it was crusted over with dry salt. Even if it wasn't dried over Keith doubted he could get it open on his own.

Suddenly the hand was back along with the dim blue glow from his whale buddy. Keith watched as the mer reached over to the box and snag one its fingernails onto the latch. So this thing was like, really smart. It had been watching Keith try to open the box and was now trying to open it himself. He was a quick learner as it seemed.

A loud snap filled the silent night as the merman accidentally broke the clasp clean off the box. A loud trill rang through the air as the merman held the broken clasp in shock. He hadn't meant to break it. Oh well, either way, the box would open now. Realizing this, the mer used a single finger to open the lid before Keith could even attempt too. The massive creature must have realized how weak Keith was at this point and had decided to intervene and help.

The poor boy was fading in and out of consciousness as he sat there, breathing heavy and scratchy. He felt pathetic. At this point he kind of was.

With a gentle push from the whale, Keith scooted over to the open box and weakly dug for one of the food rations and water bottles. He almost started crying when his hand grasped onto a baggie of dried fruits and nuts. As quickly as his body would allow, he pulled the plastic bag free of the tote and torn it open. A few of the contents spilled in his lap, but he didn't care at this point.

With trembling hand, Keith shoved a handful of the dried food into his mouth and greedily munched on it. After he managed to swallow the half-chewed food and took a long gulp from one of the water bottles to wash it down. It would take awhile for his strength to come back, but he would not die today. He refused to die this easily.

Finishing half the bag, Keith had to stop before he ate too much and caused himself to get sick. His stomach had shrunk from the lack of food so eating too much was a risk he didn't want to take.

"Thank you..." He managed to say quietly. Though the giant couldn't understand him, Keith had to say it. He owed this mighty behemoth his life. The creature had no reason to have saved him but he did anyway, and for that, the human was endlessly grateful. So small, so insignificant, and this god-like creature had chosen to care enough to deem his life worth saving.

In response to Keith's words, an adorable little warble came from the massive merman. How the hell could something so large make noises that cute? He was like an overgrown puppy almost.

"Y'know, you need a name," Keith stated as he closed the bag of food and stashed it back in the tote. He was already starting to feel a bit better. Drowsy, yes, starving, no. That was good.

A curious trill filled the air as the massive blue eyes blinked at him.

What would be a good name for a giant whale merman thing? Blue was the first thing to come into his mind, but it was a bit too plain and way too obvious. He was not about to name a blue whale after a color. What other traits could he use as name ideas?

His eyes, the freckles, his tail, anything that could be used to come up with a good name. Keith then remembered the spear he had seen earlier when there was still daylight out. Remembering some of his biology classes, there were 3 types of spears for hunting whales. A spade, A harpoon,

And a lancing spear. The kind of spear that was lodged in his friend's side was a lancing spear.

"I think I'm going to call you Lance, that sound cool to you?" Keith asked, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. A slow blink was all he got from the mer. Deciding to try something before he fell asleep again, the tired boy sat up so he could look Lance in the eyes.

Pointing to himself, he spoke. "Keith." He said as loud and clear as his sore throat would allow. He then moved his arm and hand to point at the person in front of him. "Lance." He declared. He repeated this a few times before dropping his arm.

Now to see if it worked. "Keith." He stated once more, but his arm stayed at his side. Looking up at Lance expectantly, he waited for a reaction. After what seemed like a few minutes, the hand that was resting on the deck beside the human moved, and a single finger pointed at Keith. Hell yeah, it worked. Now to try the second part.

"Lance?" He said, but it sounded more like a hopeful question than a statement.

Slowly, the hand turned and Lance was pointing at himself. Keith would have done a small victory dance if he could, so he settled for smiling widely and giving Lance a thumbs up. He laughed a bit when the giant copied him.

At the sound of the laughter, Lance also smiled, revealing his pearly white sharp teeth. It didn't scare Keith this time, but it did make Keith wonder what the heck a predator that size even ate. Sharks? Dolphins? Other whales? Considering it had been a whole pod he heard a few days ago, he doubted that Lance ate other whales. That was cannibalism. Then again sharks did occasionally turn on one another if they were hungry enough.

Belly full and mood lifted, Keith felt his tiredness return full scale as he yawned widely. Pulling a fresh thermal blanket from the supply box, Keith moved to lay down for the rest of the night. Once in a position that was relativity comfortable, he rested his head on the tattered old sweater he had titled as his official pillow. It had a few red stains from his head wound but it worked for now.

He found himself unable to sleep though. Lance was still there watching him curiously with those big blue eyes. It was kind of hard to sleep when someone was staring directly at you and the person staring was hundreds of feet tall.

Eventually, Lance lost interest when Keith stayed still for long enough and turned to swim away. The glowing blue hue increased greatly as Lance's torso went under and his tail rose from the water. All along his whale half, there were glowing patches of bright neon blue. The sight had Keith sitting up in awe as the large mer dove under the waves. Even when Lance was all the way submerged, he could still see the brilliant light show as it vanished into the depths swishing side up and down with the lazy tail movement.

With the feeling of being watched no longer bothering him, Keith found sleep easily.

 

\--Day 11--

 

For the first time since the shipwreck, waking up came with no pain or nausea. Instead, his first thoughts and feelings were of comfort and warmth. He didn't want to move, scared the comfort would vanish like a dream. But he had to know if it was real or not. In the back of his mind, he was hoping to open his eyes and find himself back in his room at Shiro's house and the whole thing having been a bad dream.

The sounds of gentle waves and a quiet wailing noise gave him the reminder that no, it had not been a dream, and yes, he was friends with a giant mermaid. Well, merman. So why was he so comfy and warm then? The last time he remembers half sunken boat decks were not soft.

Finally working up the motivation, Keith opened his eyes to see what the heck was going on. Instead of the open ocean or the blue eyes of Lance, he found himself in complete darkness. His confusion was replaced by shock when he felt something larger run down the entire length of his body. A faint rustling noise could be heard, leading to prove that the darkness was caused by his blanket being over his head.

Was Lance.....petting him? Again? It wasn't just his head this time though. Keith was laying on his side and he felt the gentle pressure brush along his form once again. Once he got over the weird fact that he was being petted, he found the touch rather soothing and relaxing. Looking down, Keith found that Lance's other hand was underneath him.

Now how the hell did Lance move him so easily without waking him up? It just seemed impossible. Then again he didn't think giant mermaids, in general, were a possibility until a few days ago.

Moving slowly, Keith grabbed the corner of the blanket and lifted it over his head. Partially blinded by the daylight that streamed in, he squinted his eyes. The petting stopped, letting Keith know that Lance was aware of his actions. The hand that was petting him moved away and Keith removed the blanket. He very much regretted that.

A gust of cold air washed over him, digging into his bare skin as the shorts and tank top offered no protection from the frigid temperature. Keith scrambled to grab the blanket and wrap it back around his shoulder. Thankfully Lance's hand beneath him was really warm, offering some relief. The mer must have noticed him shivering in his sleep for something and took action to keep him warm.

He wondered what he ever did to earn this creatures kindness in the first place. He hadn't done anything at all but rely on him for survival so far. Unless...

Keith's mind wandered to the spear that was most likely still pierced into the whale half of his savior. Maybe he knew Keith could help him remove it? He hadn't tried to show it to Keith yet, so he doubted it. Still, he wanted to do it regardless to make up for everything Lance had done for him.

A worried trill rang in Keiths ears as Lance leaned in a bit too close for comfort to examine the tiny human in his palm. Standing up, he stepped off of the giant hand. His head ached a bit, but he felt much better than he did last night. But he was still hungry. When Lance moved his hand from the deck Keith opened the box and dug out his bag of trail mix. A sharp whistling noise has him spinning around to ace Lance in surprise. With Lance's hand gone, Keith noticed a dark smooth shaped lump on the opposite end of the wooden deck.

It was a fish that was half the size that he was. It was a deep red color, and that lead Keith to believe it was a kind of salmon. It looked fairly fresh, seeing as it twitched occasionally, but the deep cut running from its gills to its stomach proved that it was dead.

Lance reached up from the water to nudge the fish towards Keith as if telling him it was for him. And it was, as it seemed.

Looking up at the mer in awe, Keith smiled. "Thank you." He said yet again. Luckily for him, salmon didn't have to be cooked to be eaten. And he could dry out whatever he didn't eat to save for later.

Abandoning the bag of trail mix, Keith grabbed one of the larger shards of glass he had scavenged to used as a temporary knife. He had his own, but it had probably been lost during the first storm.

Walking over to the dead fish, he got to work and started gutting it to get to the deep red colored meat. Discarding the inedible insides, he started cutting the remaining fish into thin strips. The whole time Lance was watching him curiously, probably wondering why he wasn't just eating it the way it was.

A few minutes later and Keith had strips of fresh red meat drying out over a piece of driftwood and a stomach full of fresh sushi. He didn't even like sushi but hey it was better than starving. Plus something that was fresh and not tasteless rationed food was a good change.

Now onto the next task. Grabbing a pair of goggled from the old box, Keith decided not was a good time to help with the spear in Lance's side. He carefully folded the blanket and put it away before picking his way down to the water. His foot was feeling better and was no longer bleeding at all. His head though, he wasn't too sure about that.

Shivering a bit, Keith popped the goggles onto his head and pulled the plastic lenses over his eyes. Dipping a toe in the water, he was pleased to find it warmer than the cold breeze blowing against his skin. He could hear sloshing water as Lance turned his body to watch what Keith was doing.

Jumping into the warm ocean, Keith's eas flooded with an alarmed squealing noise that reminded him of a distressed dolphin. Lance must have thought he had fallen back in the water again by accident. To calm his friend, Keith surfaced as fast as he could to show that he wasn't drowning.

Leaving the side of the boat, Lance sank in the water till only above his nose could be seen, and suddenly Lance felt a lot bigger than he looked. Keith was in his element now, and he was completely at the mer's mercy. Small waves were created as the mer moved to where he was facing the small human in the water.

Looking around, Keith saw Lance's tail beneath the waves a bit off to his left.

"Lance," He stated, getting the whale's full attention with his given name. "I'm going to get that thing out of your tail, okay?" He asked, pointing to the merman's lower half. Lance followed where Keith was pointing and wailed curiously at him, trying to figure out what he had meant. Okay, plan B.

Taking a deep breath, Keith let himself sink into the water. The air almost left his as nearly yelped in pain as saltwater got into his head wound. It would probably start bleeding again soon if he wasn't quick about this.

Before Lance could dive under to follow and watch him, Keith started swimming towards the whale end of the boy. An annoyed groan left with a few bubbles as Lance turned in the water to face him again. Both now underwater, Keith got a full body view of the mer.

Instead of him being an exact half whale half giant person, it was actually blended near his middle. Some of the grooves on the whale's belly carried over onto the tan skin. On Lance's back, it was nearly the same. Dark grey splotches were scattered across his back all along his spine going all the way up to his neck and vanishing into his hairline.

Keith was just starting to swim up to the surface when Lance started singing.

It wasn't actually singing with words, but a whale call, deep and loud as it cut through the water. If it had sounded nice above water then what he was hearing now was heaven to his ears. The only thing Keith could even think to compare it too was listening to a recording of a deep cello with soundproof headphones. The only thing he could hear was the wondrous voice of the whale.

Thankfully Lance seemed to remember that Keith needed air to breathe and cupped his hands under the boy, pushing him to the surface. Keith had been so entranced by the beauty of the song that he had forgotten to keep swimming up.

Once out of the water, Lance continued to hold Keith, as if worried he would just jump back into the water again. The tiny human let out a frustrated huff of breath after pushing his goggles up.

"Lance, I need to get that thing out of your tail. So put me down and let me do what I've gotta do." He stated firmly. Lance Either didn't care or didn't understand him. Probably both at this point with the way the merman trilled and whistled at him.

"Lance." He stated a bit of anger in his tone. Keiths eyes held a look of frustration as he glared at his fishy friend. That got the whales full attention, so Keith raised his arm and pointed to the water below. "Down." Voice monotone, he said the command, hoping Lance would see what he meant.

Thankfully it worked but Keith felt a wave of guilt and regret rush over him when Lance gave a look of sadness and surprise. It reminded him of the look a child gave when yelled at which is pretty much what Keith had just done.

Slowly, the whale lowered him back into the water, letting the cool liquid flow into his palms with Keith before letting him go completely. Once his hands had been removed and Keith was floating in place on his own the mer backed away and sank into the water a little bit.

Keith fucked up. A creature that was probably hundreds of years old and thousands of times his own size, and he made him sad.

With a sigh, Keith slid his goggles back on and followed Lance back underwater. This time the mer didn't look at him, figuring that the human probably wanted to be left alone. Instead, he floated around as if not having anything better to do. However, Keith did notice how the deep blue eyes would glance at him every now and then to make sure he wasn't drowning again.

Hoping his next actions would make up for his unnecessary scolding, Keith swam to follow the slow-moving whale boy. Lance again either didn't care or didn't notice seeing as he let Keith do what he wanted this time. It was a bit difficult to keep up without any real swim gear like webbed gloves or scuba fins, but he somehow managed. Maybe Lance was going slow so he didn't accidentally hit or wash Keith away with a gush of water.

Soon he was swimming along side of the whale part of Lance, looking at the spear lodged in the thick skin. It was buried deep right in the crook of where the fin met the body. To a normal whale, it was the equivalent to a human armpit. Based off of how long he knew lancing spears were, the thing was jammed in there up to half its length. Removing it was going to hurt like hell that's for sure.

Gently, he grabbed onto the fin itself to let Lance know he was there. The mer's top half turned to face him, the whole body twisting to allow him to do so and nearly flinging Keith off in the process. A confused and slightly worried rumble came from Lance's chest. Keith would have had the same reaction to a stranger getting so close to a wound.

Running out of breath, Keith had to do this fast. There was no way to do it painlessly. Quickly he pointed to the spear and made a yanking motion with his arms. Confused, Lance simply made a trilling noise at him again. Screw it, he was running out of air and doubted Lance would ever let him this close again easily.

Before the mer could move away, Keith grasped the spear with both hands and planted his bare feet on either side of the injury. Out of the corner of his eyes, the boy saw Lance flinch move to grab him and stop him from touching the spear. Keith was faster.

Using the last of his breath, Keith pulled with all of his might on the rusty metal spear that was piercing the flesh of his friend.

An ear-piercing screech rang through the water as the spear was ripped free, a cloud of deep crimson blood trailing with it. Without warning, Lance's tail thrashed, desperately trying to get away from the pain the human had just caused. In order to keep Lance from accidentally hurting himself with the weapon, he let it go to sink to the depths below.

Out of air, Keith made a beeline for the surface with his lungs burning and hands raw from pulling the rusted spear out. Just before he reached the surface, Lance's massive flailing tail smacked into him and it felt like Keith had been hit by a bus going at full speed. A loud cracked filled his ears along with the screeching to let Keith know that he had probably broken a rib or two. The force sent him spiraling into the deeper darker water and he tried sucking in a breath out of pure instinct. Keith regretted the action immediately as the ocean flooded his lungs. The whole time he could hear the merman screaming out to the sea.

Panicked now, Keith flailed, desperately trying to get to the surface yet again. He could see blood clouding the water around him as Lance went on a tyrant spree of confused pain, giving Keith a painful reminder that no matter how human he looks, Lance was just another wild animal. And so, Keith didn't blame him for being mad or for any harm he may have caused.

'''Lance POV'''

Lance wasn't mad, he had just been momentarily blinded by an unexpected pain that he had spent so long trying to ignore. Eventually, the sore spot from the spear did start to hurt a little less. It was still bleeding, but it was no worry for a creature of his size. Finally calming down and adrenaline wearing off, Lance had a moment to recall what had even happened. Looking around, he saw a small thing struggling to swim to the surface.

Chest tightening with worry, Lance was swimming over to the sinking human as fast as he could. The tiny human was a lot farther away than he had been moments ago, leading Lance to realize that he had hit the small person with his tail while he was throwing a tantrum. By the time Lance reached him, the small one had gone completely still.

A high pitched cry of fear climbed it's way from the whale's throat as he gently closed his hands around the limp body. Rising from the water, Lance quickly spotted his human's little floating thing and raced over to it. When he reached there, Lance was relieved when he heard coughing, meaning that the human was at least alive. The relief vanished when he saw red trickling from between the human's lips which were tinted blue.

With a worried whistling noise, he gently laid the human down on the dry surface of the wooden deck. Almost immediately the human curled into a tight little ball, whimpering and coughing pitifully. That meant that Lance had hurt his human's insides. Insides were sensitive. This was bad. Humans were weak from what he had seen so hurt insides were really bad.

In his own language of chirps and wails, he kept asking the human if there was anything he could do to help, but the small creature didn't understand his words. His new friend was dying and there was nothing he could do to save him this time.

"Lance...." The boy said weakly, coughing as he choked on and spat out his own blood. "Not your fault....." Keith's voice cracked when he spoke using the name he had given the whale. No one had ever given him a name before. The other animals only knew him as the strange one.

The other sea animals! They could help! His own pod of whales had continued migrating without him to avoid the chilly weather, but maybe there were some dolphins or seals that knew where this human belonged. If he could find were the tiny things home was, the other humans could help heal him.

He gave a quick low whistle note to Keith before disappearing back into the water to go find help. It wouldn't be easy seeing as the part of the ocean they were in was bare to nearly any life this time of year. Lance had to do something though. Doing nothing was not an option after what he had done. The human has gotten rid of the pointy thing in his side, and how did the whale repay him? Hitting him with a giant tail.

With the spear no longer in Lance's side, he found he was able to move much quicker and painlessly than he had before. The metal rod had been in his side for a while now since he had been too scared to remove himself.

Now in deeper water quite a distance from the wrecked oat that the human was currently dying on, Lance bellowed out his voice to the sea as loud as he could, letting out a distressed call to anyone who would listen. Other whales made similar sounds when their young were in danger or if they themselves were hurt or stuck.

But now someone else needed help. And Lance going to make sure that he got it.

\---Somewhere else in the ocean---

(This is what Lance sounds like while calling out for help: youtu.be/WabT1L-nN-E?list=WL )

"Shiro, I understand what you're going through right now, but feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to find Keith faster. So please, help me." Allura said for nearly the tenth time. Shiro didn't respond to her.

The two had set out on a boat the moment the massive storm had dissipated, trying to radio their lost comrade to see if he was safe. The moment they heard nothing but static her and the other became frantic and set out to go find their friend themselves. Going out in teams of two, Shiro with Allura, Pidge with Hunk, and Coran with few other various staff members had hopped onto the remaining research boats and set out to look for Keith. It would be hard looking for something so small in an ocean so big, but they had to try.

Besides, Allura knew the direction that Keith had been headed, so they started there, the teams fanning out as they went farther. But things weren't going well. No had seen any signs or even debris from the boat or Keith and it was going on to over a week of searching.

"It's my fault though. If I had taken this assignment and not Keith he would be fine." The one-armed man was sitting down on the deck, back leaning against the wall of the steering area where Allura stood with a pair of binoculars. Dark circles were thick under both their eyes. Neither of them could sleep, scared that they would miss any signs of their lost friend in the vast ocean.

"That may be true, but then you would be lost, and that's just as bad. You two are both important to me and swapping places wouldn't change a thing." Allura replied, looking down at him sadly. Determined as he was, Shiro was starting to give up. She could tell. "It was both our idea to give him this as a vacation. We couldn't have known about the storm happening. Nothing showed on the radars so there's nothing we could have done. What we can do now is look for him and hope he's ok." She explained.

Deciding now was an ok time for a small break, she let go of the steering wheel and cut the engine before going and sitting down beside the broken man. Gently, the white-haired female rested her head on his shoulder as a form of grounding comfort. A small smile reached her lips when he accepted the comfort and let his cheek rest against her hair. "Thank you...." He mumbled.

The two sat there in silence, watching the open calm waters before them. It was relaxing to look at something so beautiful, but terrifying all at once. How something so beautiful could be so deadly, they did not know. But that's just the way the world worked.

Above the crashing waves, Allura faintly heard something else ring in her ears. Was that....... a whale she heard? With squinted eyes, Allura sat up beside Shiro. "Did you hear that?" She asked. Shiro perked up a bit, sitting up to hear better. After a moment he shook his head, the white weft of hair swinging loosely. "I could've sworn I heard-"

She was cut off when the sound returned, louder this time and much clearer. Shiro heard it as well, now sitting all the way up. Allura stood to her feet quickly, looking around to see if she could spot the animal making the noise as it sounded very distressed.

"Is that a whale? I thought they all migrated by now?" Shiro questioned as he stood up as well. "Sounds close too. Should we check it out?" Looking to Allura, he saw her nod without hesitation.

"I know we're out here looking for your brother, but we don't exactly have a clue where he is. We do know that this animal is close and I will not leave it to die if it's hurt." She stated, going back to the steering area. Shiro wanted to argue, claiming that Keith was a priority, realized she was right and grabbed his binoculars before heading to the front of the boat to stand lookout.

Using a sonar scanner, Allura followed the little green dot on the map she had on her tracker. Pidge had made it along with Hunk so they could find injured animals easily when they couldn't see them.

A few minutes later and Allura slowed the boat down. "We should be able to see it now." She pointed out. "Steer for me, I've been out whale spotting longer than you ever will in your lifetime."

"Yes ma'am," Shiro stated, giving her a fake salute and swapping spots with her.

The distressed calls were louder now, and Allura could tell something was off about them. They were deeper than a normal whale call typically was, and it almost sounded like an actual voice.

Something clicked in the back of Allura's mind like an old memory resurfacing. "Blue?" She asked herself uncertainly. It couldn't be him, could it?

"What did you say?" Shiro asked, barely able to hear her over the wind and water. Allura turned around to answer him, an unsure look on her face.

"I think I know what's making that soun-" She was cut off as something shot out of the ocean right next to the boat and successfully showing Allura in salt water. The wailing noise was loud and clear now, the source having been found.

Shiro's eyes widened in shock and fear at what he saw towering over the boat.

It was a giant person.

"Holy shit Blue it is you!" Allura stated, recovering from having a ton of water dumped on her. At the sound of the girl's voice, the giant turned to face her, eyes wide. A smile broke out on the creatures face as it let out a loud trill of joy almost as if he knew her. But the teeth glinting in the sunlight when it smiled scared the crap out of Shiro.

"What the hell is that?!" He screeched, backing up a bit with wide eyes. Allura whipped her head around to look at her boyfriend.

"Stop yelling or you'll scare him!" She stated sternly. Momentarily ignoring the frantic man, she averted her gaze back to the familiar face. "Long time so see, what are you doing here Blue? Allura asked. The creature warbled softly and lowered it's head right next to the boat, allowing the marine biologist to reach out and touch his nose.

"Wait you know this thing?!" Shiro demanded the question, eyes still wide and panicked as they stayed locked onto the giant.

"Yes, I do. His name is Blue, now would you please calm down Shiro? He's completely harmless and an old friend of mine." He almost did calm down, but when the creature turned to look at him with those massive deep blue eyes, the fear returned in a split second. It was almost as if the thing had reacted to his name.

"Why is it.....he, looking at me?" He asked cautiously, keeping his movements slow. Allura looked up at Blue, seeming almost confused.

"I think he knows your name. I'm not sure how though, he only knows me, my father and Coran. Unless..." Slowly, her bright teal eyes turned to face Shiro, wide with realization. "Oh my god."

"What, what do you mean? How does this thing know my name?" Shiro asked, working up the courage to slowly walk over to Allura. The whole time both sets of blue eyes were locked on him. As he got closer the creature warbled curiously at him, eyes full of what seemed like disbelief and relief.

Eyes still wide Allura placed both of her hands on the giants face. "Do you know where Keith is?"

The reaction was instant. A loud howling chirp answered he as Blue backed away from the boat and started swimming in another direction. Once a couple hundred feet from the boat Shiro saw the massive tail attached to the body of the giant. It was a freaking merman. Another loud shrill whale call sounded as Blue stopped and looked at them. He wanted them to follow.

"Shiro he knows where Keith is! That's how he knows your name, Keith is alive!" Allura yelled, dashing back to the steering area and flinging the engine into full power. Almost falling over from the shock and movement, Shiro grabbed onto the railing on the edge of the deck where the mer's face had just been. "Don't lose sight of Blue!" She yelled at him.

"This is crazy-" The man said as he did what he was told. This was a lot of information to process. His brother was alive, close by, and this giant merperson had met him and was now leading the two of them to where he was. "Absolutely crazy..." The mer mostly stayed under the water but surfaced every few seconds so they could see him. It was then that Shiro noted the bit of blood trailing behind the whale thing.

The last thought vanished completely when he saw something ahead on the horizon. He couldn't tell exactly what it was yet though. Was it the boat Keith was on?

Close enough now to see, he realized it was Keith's boat, but in bits and pieces with only one solid part staying afloat.

Blue let out a low pitched wail when he surfaced next to the wreck and waited for them to get closer. Allura brought the boat around the other side, careful not to run into it in fear of capsizing their own ship.

Shiro's breath caught in his throat when he saw Keith laying on his side, bleeding and lifeless on the deck. A shadow passed over him as one of the merman's hands lowered onto his own boat on the deck in front of him. In a split second with no hesitation, Allura had hopped onto the hand and was being carried across the short distance to the other boat.

"Keith!" Allura said loudly, hopping off of the hand and landing in a crouched position by her friend. He didn't respond. Now that she had a closer look at him, she could see all of the damage done to his body. The boy's eyes were half-lidded and dull grey. Checking for a pulse, her own heart skipped a beat when she couldn't feel his. "Help me get him over there," Allura ordered to the Blue. He kept his hand perfectly flat as Allura hauled the limp body onto his open palm.

Shiro didn't realize he had started crying until his brother's body was being laid down in front of him. "no, god please no." His voice came out raspy as he dropped to the boy's side and gently put his hands on Keiths cheeks. He looked into the lifeless eyes of his adopted sibling and sobbed loudly.

"Shiro, snap out of it!" Allura demanded, looking for a spot on Keith's chest that wasn't bruised before starting CPR. "Focus. Keep his head elevated and find something to warm him up. His body is still warm so we might have a chance to bring him back." Her voice dragged Shiro back to reality, forcing him to move.

He peeled off his jacket as Allura continued the chest compressions. The whole time Blue watched over the with worried eyes. Folding the jacket sloppily Shiro slid it under Keith's head and hopped to his feet to go find a thermal blanket or something for his brother.

He froze and spun around when Keith started coughing.

"Keith!" Abandoning what he had been going to do, Shiro was by the boy's side in an instant to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. The large merman let out a small wailing noise, perking up when he heard Keith breathing heavily.

Eyes still half-lidded, the violet irises focussed on the two people beside him. "Sh...shiro...?" he asked weakly, hands grasping at nothing as he writhed in pain. Coughing again, Keith rolled onto his side and hacked up a what looked like bile and blood.

"He needs a hospital. There's internal damage in his lungs and he has a major concussion. From what, I'm not sure but that's not important right now. Stay here with him while I radio the others. Try to move him as little as possible." Allura stated, standing up and wiping the blood from her hands. "I'll start heading back to the facility for now."

Shiro nodded and watched her walk to the side of the boat that the whale was closest to. "Blue, follow." She stated in a monotone voice as clear as she could. The mer seemed to nod in understanding before quickly vanishing under the deep blue ocean waves. Once he was out of sight Allura went to go start the boat and radio the others.

Keith's eyes slipped shut, but he was still breathing as Shiro sat beside him. "Hey, Shiro....?" He asked, catching the adults attention. "I found a mermaid." The words were slurred and quiet as he spoke, blood slowing to a trickle from his lips and down his chin "..... S' name is Lance...." Opening his eyes, Keith seemed to look around. "Where is he?"

"He's following us in the water," Shiro answered. Satisfied with the answer, Keith hummed a bit and let his eyes close again. "How are you holding up? Is there anything I can get you?" He asked.

Keith gave a small weak nod. "Kinda cold..." His voice sounded more distant like he was falling asleep. That wasn't good.

"I'll get you a blanket, but you need to stay away, ok?" Shiro asked. The weak boy nodded in response, coughing up a bit more blood. Carefully, the older male moved his younger brother to where he was sitting up against one of the walls of the steering area. Propping him up made it easier for him to breath at least.

Moving quickly, Shiro hurried down the hatch into the living area of the small ship, grabbing the softest blanket he could find and a first aid kit. He might not be able to do much for Keiths lungs, but he could at least re-bandage his head and foot. Above him he heard Allura speaking to the others over the radio, telling them they had found Keith and he was alive. Hurt, but alive.

He was alive. Keith was going to be ok. They had found him.

And a giant mer creature that Allura was apparently friends with. He would have to talk to her about that later when Keith wasn't dying on a boat in the middle of nowhere.

Running all of the information through his mind, Shiro began his ascent back to the top deck with the blanket and first aid kit in hand. Once up there, he was greeted by Allura.

"The others have been contacted and their all on their way back to the facility. The first one to get there will call for an ambulance and wait for the rest of us to get there." She explained. As the boat went forward the breeze gently blew her ghost white hair around, causing Shiro to stare for a moment.

A sharp trill tore through the air, coming from what sounded like underneath the boat.

"Ok, but I do have one question. What about the giant fish?" He asked, pointing down. "Care to explain that and what we're going to do with him?"

"One, he's a mammal, not a fish. Two, I'm not quite sure yet. He's too big to pass the drop off in the bay where the facility it so he'll have to wait there." She started to explain. "I would send him to go back with his pod and where they migrated but since he isn't a full whale he can't exactly find the way on his own. Which means he'll have to stay around here for the summer. But I don't want him going hungry. He eats a lot and most of his food source migrated already so we'll have to use some of the facilities animal feed."

"And you plan on hiding him, how?" Shiro asked incredulously. Before Allura could answer, a weak cough reminded him why he was holding a blanket. "Hold that though, I'll be back in a minute." He stated before speedwalking away.

Going around the outside of the small steering room, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Keith. The boy was completely limp and unmoving, slumped with his head hanging low, blood sluggishly seeping from his mouth and staining his shirt. Shiro is by his side in an instant, muttering Keith's name over and over. With gentle hesitant hands, he lifts Keith's head and sighs in relief when hazy eyes focus on him. He was ok.

"You can't sleep yet, buddy. So, but stay awake just a little longer ok? If you sleep now you might not wake up again."Shiro said almost mournfully. But he wasn't wrong. Ith how much damage Keith had taken his body wouldn't have the strength to wake up again.

"Where's Lance?" He asked weakly, ignoring what his brother said and not answering him. He had asked this question already, meaning that he had forgotten the answer given too him. If he was forgetting things this easily that wasn't good.

"Lance? Allura's been calling him Blue." Shiro stated

"T-too cliche in-" Keith was cut off as he coughed, gasping in pain. Taking a moment to recover, he continued. "In my opinion....." Looking up, the injured boy tilted his head back with extreme effort to gaze at the sunny blue sky above. He shivered a bit and Shiro quickly draped the thick blanket over him, covering most of his body with the plush fabric. It felt much nicer than the thermal blankets did.

"I'm going to bandage of your head, alright?" Shiro asked, popping the first aid kit open. "You did a pretty good job, but your bandage is covered in saltwater so it needs to be replaced." He explained. Letting his head hang limp again Keith hummed an ok at his brother.

For the next few minutes, Shiro took care of his brother's injuries as carefully as he could. At the same time, he would occasionally tap Keith's shoulder to keep him from falling asleep. He wished he could let him sleep as the poor boy was probably exhausted to death. Literally.

As he worked, a somber song came from the water beneath them, easily heard over the boat's engine. It was Lance or Blue. Whatever his name was. Either way, the song suddenly had Keith wide awake, looking out at the water with wide almost pleading eyes. "Lance-" He coughed out. A deep wail came from the depths as if answering the human.

A few seconds later and Allura was walking over to stand beside them. The mellow notes continued and she smiled softly, looking down at Keith. "He's singing for you, Keith. That means he likes you." She explained.

"You know him?" His voice sounded distant and water as he spoke, eyelids drooping a bit. Keith knew it probably wasn't a good idea, but his mind was fuzzy and he had questions that he wanted answers too.

"Yes. I met Blue when he and I were very young. My father, Coran and I found him stuck on a beach after the tide had gone out. We kept him safe and made sure no one found him until he could get back out into open water on his own. But he had become attached and stuck around for a while, In that time we taught him a few things. Basic words similar to how we do with dolphins and seals at the facility. Blue is actually the reason my father even started that facility."

"I call him Lance." He explained. "He responds to it so I think he likes it." The more he spoke the more slurred and harder to understand his words became. "There was a lancing spear in his side that I pulled out for him. Lance just seemed like a fitting name that wasn't cliche."

"You removed a spear from him?o wonder he likes you so much, huh. Well, we're almost home so you can rest soon. Hold on just a little bit longer." The dark skinned woman pat him gently on the shoulder before returning to her post at the steering wheel of the boat. Beside her, the radio crackled to life.

"Allura this is Pidge, do you copy?" The small girl asked. Allura picked up the radio quickly and answered.

"I'm here. Did you reach home?" She asked.

"Affirmative. Hunk went to call an ambulance. I'm staying at the docks to wait for you guys in case you need any help. How's Keith holding up?" Pidge asked.

"He's doing ok for now, but we have to hurry if he's to make it. That ambulance better is waiting for us when we get there." Allura stated firmly. "Just be ready to help us carry him. we need all the hands we can get so we don't jostle him too much. His wounds are pretty bad." She explained.

"Any clue what happened?" The young team member asked.

"Not really, but I can assume most of the damage is from the storm that hit 2 weeks ago and he hasn't had time to heal." 2 weeks. That's how long Keith had been lost at sea on nothing but a floating chunk of broken boat. Allura couldn't blame him if Keith didn't have any lasting effects from this. And not just physically. Things like this did stuff to peoples minds too.

Fortunately, he hadn't been completely alone. Blue had found him and had been his company for most of the time. Seeing as they seemed to know each other well it had to have been at least a few days.

"Do me a favor?" Pidge asked. "Kick his ass for me if he dies before you get back." Allura laughed a bit.

"Sure thing Pigeon. See you when we get back." Allura said. Pidge gave a small 'Rodger that' before hanging up the radio. With a sigh, she went back to steering the boat. The sun had started sinking in the sky, but it wasn't set just yet.

They would be home soon enough though.


	3. You Are Like The Sea To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those who lost their way are found, and the story comes to a happy ending.

A small beeping noise came from the radar, catching Allura's attention. Looking at the small gadget, she saw that they were nearly to the drop-off. Looking ahead she could see the faint outline of the shore miles ahead. "Shiro come steer for me for a moment. I can watch Keith but I need to talk to Blue." She informed her boyfriend.

"Alright. Just a fair warning he keeps slipping in and out of consciousness no matter what I do to keep him awake." He replied, leaving Keith's side and taking Allura's place. With a sigh she went over and kneeled by the frail body they were fighting so hard to keep alive.

"Keith, I'm going to talk to Bl-' She paused. Keith had used a different name for the whale. "Lance. I'm going to speak with him real quick. Would you like to see him?" Her voice was soft and gentle as she spoke, almost like a mother would talk to a child. 

Eyes still half-lidded and dull, Keith managed a weak nod. With a smile, the female gently squeezed his shoulder before standing up and walking to the edge of the boat. Once there, she brought two slender fingers to her lips and let out a shrill high pitched whistled. It was short and quick, but it did the trick. 

A low wailing sound answered her and shortly afterward, Lance surfaced beside the boat, easily keeping up as it sped onwards. Keith perked up a bit, eyes opening up a bit to look up at the mer. A small smile graced his lips and even with the blood staining his face and body, he looked happy to see his friend. 

"Back when I first met Lance we quickly found out that even if he wanted to, he cannot speak like a human since his vocal chords are different. But we did teach him a bit of sign language like we do with dolphins. He only knows a few basic words though." She explained to Keith as she turned to face Lance. 

"Example." She turned to Lance and made a short quick movement with both hands, going down in a y shape. "This means stay." Her hands moved again, one tilted at a ninety-degree angle while she pointed the index finger on her other hand downwards. "Deep." For the last word, she simply held up three fingers in the shape of a W in front of her lips. "Water."

Keith watched in awe as Lance lifted a hand of his own. The mer touched the tips of his forehead before bringing it down near his chest and sticking out only his pinky and thumb. Allura turned to face Keith to explain.

"I told him to stay out here in deeper water and he's asking why." She translated quickly. "The bay is to shallow for him and I don't want him getting stuck." Allura sighed to Lance as she spoke, movements too fast for Keith to catch this time. The two converse with their visual language for a bit, discussing what was going to happen and such.

Keith had apparently blacked out again because he awoke to Allura frantically calling his name. A warm gush of air washed over him and when he peeled his eyes open Keith saw Lance closer than he had been before. A dull thud could be heard as Lance rose right up against the boat to try and get closer to Keith.

Slowly, Lance back up a bit to make room for his hands as he signed at Allura.

"He's worried about you and keeps asking if you're ok." She translated. Lance's hands moved again and Allura's brows furrowed a bit in confusion and slight worry. "He also keeps apologizing. For what, I'm not sure."

At that statement, Keith's eyes widened. Lance blamed himself for Keith getting hurt. "Help me stand up." The frail boy requested, pushing his blanket off.

"What? No, you're too hurt right now you shouldn't be moving at all let alone standing!" Allura's voice was high pitched with worry and surprise. To her disdain, she panicked a bit when Keith started trying to stand on his own. Quick to react, the white-haired female was flung into distress as she hurried to her friend's side. 

Very slowly, step by step, Keith started to walk to the edge of the boat. It trembling foot step was helped by Allura who decided it was pointless to argue with him. Within a few short moments, the duo was at the boat edge and Keith grabbed onto the railing for support. Lance had started to look sheepish, wanting to avert his eyes in shame for what he had done to Keith, but at the same time, he was worried enough to stay put and make sure that he was ok.

"Lance?" The small human asked, looking up at his giant friend. "It wasn't your fault. What happened was an accident, and I don't blame you." A deep trill sounded and guilty look crept it's was onto Lance's face. It made Keith melt inside at the sight of it. Wanting to wipe the look right off of the mer's face, Keith reached out weakly with one if his hands. The other hand remained in a tight grip on the railing. 

Seeing Keith reach out like that made Lance give in and he lowered himself, leaning closer to the boy like he had with Allura earlier. Once close enough, Keith reached a bit further and placed his hand on the tip of the mer's nose "It wasn't your fault." He said weakly, voice a bit muffled as he coughed. 

Lance answered with a low noise that was quieter than usual as Keith was really close and he didn't want the human to go deaf. Closing his massive blue eyes, Lance leaned forward just a smidge, gently pressing against Keith's tiny frail body in a form of comfort. With a small laugh, the violet-eyed male reached up, letting go of the metal railing and leaning his full weight against the giant creature.

Allura watched with an awed smile on her face at the interaction between the two. They were so fastly different, yet there was a fondness in the both of them that she had never seen before. It wasn't like what she had with Shiro, but it was far beyond friendship. The two had saved each other and that was special. Lance had saved Keith from being lost at sea forever with grave injuries, and Keith had saved Lance from the pain of a spear and being lonely. 

A small beeping from where Shiro stood reminded them that it was time for them to part. "We're at the drop off." Shiro hollered to them. Allura sighed and stepped forward, placing a hand on Keiths shoulder gently. His skin was cold and clammy, a painful reminder of the state his body was him. In the dim setting sunlight, he looked like a ghost with his black hair contrasting against his paper white flesh.

"Keith, Lance needs to stay here for now. He can't go any further into the bay but we can come back later when you feel better, alright?" She asked. Lance opened his wide ocean colored eyes to look at her. Now getting dark, his eyes were starting to glow a bit along with the splotches on his tail. 

When Keith didn't respond, she started to worry. Moving her hand from his shoulder up to the side of his face, Allura wondered if he had fallen asleep standing up. "Keith?" She asked once more.

Suddenly the boy started to crumple, arms dropping limply to his side as he started to fall back and away from Lance. With a gasp of alarm, Allura tried to catch the boy. She soon found that there was no need, as Lance had somehow reached him faster, massive hand cradling Keith gently as he wailed with concern. The tattered remains of Keiths clothed quickly became soaked with saltwater that had clung to the whale's hand, dripping from the skin onto the deck below. 

"Keith!" This time it was Shiro calling out his name, rushing from the steering wheel as the boat motor spluttered to a stop. The man went to reach out but was still wary of the giant merman so he stopped beside Allura. The white-haired girl fearlessly jumped into the hand with Keith and placed to fingers to his neck, checking for a pulse. 

Her breath hitched. "He's not breathing." She announced. Like before, she started chest compressions, praying that CPR would save the poor boy a second time that day. Looking up as she continued, her gaze landed on the shore. LIghts could be seen at the facility, but only barely. "Shit, we;re out of time. The boat won't make it there fast enough." Allura's voice seethed through her clenched teeth. And suddenly she had an idea. "Shiro what's the tide tonight?" She asked, stopping for a moment to check for a pulse. Nothing.

"H-high tide..." His voice hitched as his eyes lay upon Keith's limp body. He was dying all over again. "Why?" Shiro asked, voice wavering.

"Lance?" She asked, getting the mers attention. Rasing a single hand she signed something to him in sign language. The whale looked towards the shore for a moment before nodding. "Good. Shiro? Meet us there. I'm going to need you to calm Pidge down."

"Wait what do you mean-" Before he could finish the question, Lance's hand lifted from the boat, taking both Keith and Allura with it. "Allura what are you doing?!" He asked loudly, grasping the railing as he looked up at them.

"If we're lucky the tide is high enough for Lance to at least reach the docks without getting stuck, and he can get there faster than the boat. When we get there I can jumpstart his heart with one of the emergency defibrillators. Just hurry up and follow as fast as you can!" She hollered back at him. WIth a small nod to the giant whale mer, Lance cupped both of his hands around the two tiny humans and surged forwards in the water. 

Shiro watched in a stunned silence as the massive creature cut through the water easily with on his hands and head above the water. Behind him, his tail stirred up spirals of seafoam and small waves. For an animal of his size, Lance could move quickly if he wanted too. 

Shaking his head, Shiro snapped out of his daze and rushed back to the boat controls, speeding to follow the trio. This day had somehow become both the worst and the weirdest day of his life.

Allura continued the chest compressions as Lance carried them towards the shore. It was a risky move, but Keiths life was on the line. Bothe her and Lance were willing to take the risk. Lance getting beached wasn't the best but if he got stuck, the facility had the tech to move him. It was him being seen which was the main problem. She knew Pidge would see him no matter what, but she trusted the small sassy girl to keep her mouth shut about the giant mer.

Lance warbled with concern, gazing down at his finger sized passengers. Keith still had yet to start breathing again but Allura didn't lose hope for a single second, keeping the CPR going strong and steady.

Soon the dock came into view and Lance started to slow down, movements limited by the shallows. Sand occasionally brushed against his white underbelly, getting stuck in the grooves on his thick whale hide. It itched, but Keith was far more important than an itch.

Allura sent a silent prayer of thank you to the gods above when he reached the dock. And of course, Pidge was standing there with her jaw dropped. 

"Who the fuck is THAT!?" She asked, a bit too loud and vulgar for Allura's liking.

"Language Pidge!" She hissed at the girl as Lance stopped in front of the dock.

"Whomst the fuck then." The girl snapped back, temper deriving straight from panic "You know what, don't care. Explain later, save Keith now! Shiro just radioed me a minute ago me and told me his heart stopped so i got the defibrillator for you!" She hollered. Allura had a wave of relief wash over her seeing as she didn't have to deal with Pidge like she had with Shiro. At least PIdge had her priorities straight.

Lance, now fully laying in the sand of the shallows stretched out his palms beside the boat dock, allowing Pidge and Allura to haul Keith's cold unresponsive body onto the damp wood. A hollow trill sounded, and for a moment Allura thought that Lance was going to start crying over his lost friend. But upon gazing at the whale, he was just twitchy and anxious, and most of all very worried for his friend.

Hastening the pace, Allura prepped the small heart-shocking device aa Pidge removed Keith's shirt and exposed his still unmoving chest. The small girl gasped when she saw the discolored and bruised patches of skin, decorating the skin in a deep show of purples and yellows. Pidge rushed to the side of the deck and dry heaved, ready to throw up at the sight of her beat up friend.

"This might sting a little," Allura said as she rubbed the metal paddled together to gather friction. "Clear!" She announced before promptly electrifying her friend's heart. His body twitched, reacting to the shock before falling deathly still only seconds afterward. "Shit." She muttered. Lights flashed in the distance. The ambulance was close.

"Um, what do we do about him?" Pidge asked, pointing to Lance as she paced. 

"He needs to leave, now." Taking only a split part of a second to flash a quick 'go' in sign language at the giant mer.

The merman wailed, deep, low, and loud. He didn't want to leave Keith. 

"For Christ's sake Lance, if you stay here then you'll be captured and then you'll never see him again!" Allura shouted angrily, signing at the same time. A flash of fear crossed over the mers face, blue eyes widening and his shoulders tensed up a bit. Lance looked down at Keith's body, and then up towards the incoming flashing lights. Fighting his feelings and following his instincts, Lance spun around and started to leave.

Water to shallow to swim in, Lance used his hands and dragged himself, fingers digging into the soft sand for purchase to move forward. It was slow, but eventually, he made it where it was deep enough to swim. Quickly, he and his glowing tail vanished into deeper water. That was one problem taken care of at least.

"I'm going to try again." Rasing the paddles again, the white-haired female got ready to shock Keith again. But a small hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Wait!" Pidge pointed at Keith's fingers with her free hand. The movement was small and weak, but it was there. His hand twitched a bit. Abandoning the paddle Allura placed her trembling hands against Keith's neck once again.

"There's a pulse, it worked." She said. Relief flooded both the girl's systems as they slumped to the wooden dock, breathless despite not having moved from that spot. Pidge rested her head against Keith's arm as she let out a shaky breath.

"Don't scare me like that again you asshole-" She muttered. "The dramatic near-death stuff is Matt's job." A light chuckle rang from her mouth as she spoke.

The sirens could be heard clearly as the ambulances finally made an appearance, flashing lights stopping around where the dock connected to the land. A few seconds later, a group of nurses piled out, two of them pulling a stretcher. Behind them, a police car pulled in as well. As the nurses came closer with the stretcher, Allura leaned close to Pidge and whispered. 

"If they ask, you and I found Keith with your boat, and Lance doesn't exist. The bruises and damage are from the wreck we found him on." She stated Pidge nodded just as the medics reached them. 

They checked Keith's pulse, confirming that he was still alive and breathing, but barely. They hoisted the limp boy onto the stretcher and draped a blanket over him before wheeling him away to the bright flashing vehicle. Within a short few moments, the stretcher along with Keith was being lifted into the back of the ambulance, doors shutting tight behind them.

"Do either of you want to ride with us to the hospital?" One of the medics asked. Allura nudged Pidge forwards, and she dashed to the vehicle with no hesitation. Allura would stay behind and wait for the others to arrive and explain the situation to them and the police. But for now, they were in the clear. The hardest part was over.

Keith was alive. He was safe now. He was going to be ok.

 

\---The next day---

 

Bright lights flooded Keith's view when he next opened his eyes. Squinting against the blinding lights, he tried to remember what had happened and where the hell he was. He had been Talking with Lance an Allura on the boat, and then there was just nothing. Had he passed out again? Blacking out was starting to become a nuisance with how often it had been happening. Same with the pain. That was also becoming annoying at this point. 

Speaking of the pain, it was gone. No part of his body felt like it was being burned or crushed by an invisible force. His entire body felt stiff, however. Mostly his chest though, as if someone had bound it tightly with little room for him to breathe. 

A small beeping noise to his left prompted him to open his eyes wider and try to look around. Eyes slowly adjusting, he found himself in a small square room with white walls and smooth tiled floors. Looking down Keith found that he was laying in a rather large bed that had his top half upright just a bit to help aid his breathing. Judging by the numerous machines and beeping to his left, Keith concluded that he had ended up in the hospital somehow.

A light snore interrupted his thoughts and he turned to his right. There in the corner of the bare room was a chair. In that chair was the slumped sleeping body of his adoptive brother napping peacefully. Keith smiled at the sight. The man had a thin blanket draped over him, and seeing as it was a black blanket instead of the typical white hospital's ones, Allura had probably stopped by at some point to check on them. Of course, Shiro would stay here with him the whole time. Stubborn, just like Keith himself was.

Another snore turned the fond smile into a small frown of annoyance. Alright then.

Looking around, Keith found a small tray to his left in front of the machines. On the tray was a few things like a magazine, a small thing of flowers, what looked like a homemade miniature pie (Probably Hunk's doing) and AHA. Perfect. A little paper cup of water.

With shaky hands, Keith grabbed the small cup and quickly downed the contents of it with a small sigh of relief it brought to his dry throat. Looking back at Shiro, he crumpled up the paper cup into a ball and tossed it right at Shiro's forehead with excellent aim. It flew through the air for a moment before making soft tapping noise as it pelted Shiro right under his white streak of hair.

The reaction was instant, and Shiro was sitting up with wide eyes and wild hair in a split second, looking around the room like he was under attack or something. 

"You snore like a bear, Shiro..." Keith said with a smile on his face, voice quiet and groggy but no longer strained or hoarse. The man's head whipped up at breakneck speed, eyes locking onto Keiths in an instant with surprise. The surprise melted into something Keith couldn't see as his brother was suddenly beside him, practically laying on him as the taller male gave him a huge hug. It hurt his chest a bit, but it was nice. 

"Oh god I missed you-" Aaaaand he was crying. Lovely. He had made his grown adult of a brother cry like a child. When he wasn't laying in a hospital bed Keith was definitely going to tease him about this. Not oo much though seeing as Shiro was probably worried sick and traumatized by the whole thing.

"I missed you too, Shiro." He said, chuckling a bit as he raised his frail arms to return the embrace. A small groan from Keiths stomach reminded him that he hadn't had real food in nearly 3 weeks, and the pie on the tray next to his bed was starting to look more appetizing by the second. 

Hearing Keiths stomach basically howl for food, Shiro chuckled and pulled away. That's when Keith saw the tears. He had heard Shiro crying, but he didn't realize how bad it was until then. The poor guy's whole face was red with tears flowing freely. Seeing that Keith had noticed, Shiro hastily wiped away the salty drops before they could fall. 

"If you want I can go grab you something from the cafeteria so you don't have just the pie. And yes, Hunk did leave that for you in case you were wondering. He stress bakes so he has a ton more back at his house, so, yeah." Shiro stated, rambling a bit with a massive smile on his face. The man was just relieved that his brother was finally back and safe. A bit banged up, but ok nonetheless.

"Food sounds great. And a cup of water since I drank mine already and threw the cup at you." Keith commented, letting his head rest back against the plush pillow. The drowsiness from before was starting to come back, making his eyelids feel heavy as he yawned.

"How about you take a nap and I'll be back with food later? I still have to tell the others that you're awake. Everyone's been anxious since yesterday." Running a hand through his white hair floof, Shiro backed away from the hospital bed with a sigh.

"Yeah, sure." He had probably worried Hunk to death. The poor guy didn't know how to handle situations like this. Pidge would tease him about it after a while, and Allura would make sure he was ok before moving on. That left one more person.

"What about Lance?" Keith asked. He remembered enough to know that Shiro had seen the giant merman, so it was safe to assume Allura had explained it to him. She seemed to know him fairly well. 

"Well, it's obvious that he wants to see you really bad. Allura's keeping him hidden in the deep part of the bay just passed the drop off for now. Allura says get well soon so you can calm him down." The man said with a light chuckle. "You have some weird friends, you know that?" He asked. 

Keith laughed a bit, making his ribs ache from the movement. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I kind of owe him my life though." Shiro shook his head with a small smile.

"You'll have to tell me what happened later, but for now, get some rest. I'll be back later," With that said, Keith's adoptive brother walked out of the hospital room, gently shutting the door behind him. 

 

\---A week later---

 

Several days later, Allura and Shiro had managed to pull a few strings and get Keith out of the hospital early. They knew he didn't like it there, and that both Lance and Keith were itching to see each other once again. Even though he wasn't completely healed, the doctors deemed it safe enough as long as he didn't do anything dangerous. Like running, walking up stairs, swimming, bike riding, or anything that wasn't laying down and walking. He had to walk with a crutch as it was now since his foot was still messed up. And to go with that, Keith was prone to spontaneous headaches and migraines that could be caused by anything ranging from noise to light or anything like that.

But he was willing to work with a cane and headaches as long as it meant getting out of that cramped room and back to the ocean where his savior was waiting. 

While he had been in the hospital recovering, Allura had explained the whole situation to Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk, so all of them could help make sure no one found Lance. As it turns out Coran had known about the giant mer for a while now. Shiro was fine with it only because he had saved Keith's life and helped him and Allura find the poor guy. Pidge was more than happy and was absolutely fascinated to have a cryptid as a new friend. Hunk was a bit nervous at first but became with friends with the whale rather quickly. 

"He's refused to hold anyone but me and keeps asking when you'll be back," Allura said as she helped him out of her minivan. Shiro stood beside the white-haired girl, holding the boy's crutch for him. "It's rather adorable how stubborn he's being in my opinion. Just like a child." As the woman spoke, Keith took his crutch from Shiro's grasp, grumbling and complaining that he didn't need it. But a sharp pain in the bottom of his foot said otherwise. 

"Guess he really did miss me, huh," Keith commented. Together the trio walked out of the parking lot and around the facility building to the back where the boat docks were. "So how has it been with hiding him?" He questioned as they walked down the dirt path. The air around them was warm and humid, a gentle ocean breeze tousling through Keith's jet black hair. He had been able to take a shower at the hospital and felt (And looked) much better. Salt crusted hair did not feel nice.

"It's been fairly easy since my company owns the entire bay. It's just boats passing by in the open waters that I'm concerned about. And the fact that Lance lights up like a glow stick at night doesn't help either." Allura explained.

"Also, he got really anxious when it was raining a few days ago," Shiro said once they arrived at the docks. With Allura in the leade, the three of them made their way over to her boat. As she hopped on to lower the ramp for Keith, the young adult's eyes flickered to a dark stain in sun-bleached wood. A blood stain. His blood.

"Yeah, the last time it rained things didn't go too well for us." He said, violet eyes lingering on the stain as he limped up the metal ramp. Shiro stayed right behind him just I case he fell or slipped, but mostly to try and block his view of the crimson wood spot. 

Pidge was already there along with Hunk, waiting patiently at the helm of the research boat for their friend. "Keith!" Hunk hollered, rushing over and pulling him into a bear hug. The large boy was careful about his injuries, and the hug caused no harm even when he was lifted from the wooden-floored deck. It helped ease his discomfort of being out on a boat again. 

In the back of his mind, Keith hoped and prayed that he didn't develop a fear of the one thing he loved most.

Once Hunk set him down, Pidge had latched her arms around his waist and buried her face in his ribcage. It hurt a bit, but Keith didn't mind. It was a good hurt.

"How dare you find a cryptid without me?" She accused, pulling away. "That's like, completely unfair. I've been looking for stuff like that for years and you accidentally find one by chance? Not cool dude." Pidge said with a laugh. Keith chuckled and ruffled her already messed up bed hair.

"Don't blame me, Lance is the one who found me." He explained. 

"Speaking of Lance, he's probably getting impatient with Coran right now, so let's hurry up and move this along." Allura pointed out as she moved to the steering area with Shiro by her side. Hunk and Pidge nodded in agreement, moving to the front of the boat with Keith. It would be a short ride seeing as the bay wasn't all that large and the water was calm today. Above them in the vast blue sky, a few fluffy clouds drifted around in the gentle breeze. 

Once the boat got moving, Keith gripped the railings tightly to keep his balance. It was rather difficult with only one good foot and a crutch, but he managed. Averting his gaze down, the boy watched the front of the boat cut through the blue liquid below as it splashed up against the sides. The droplets of water glittered brightly in the sunlight, occasionally blinding him.

A sudden wave of pain shot though Keith's brain, leaving him clutching his head with clenched teeth. Pidge was at his side in an instant, a gentle hand on his back "Woah, you ok dude?" She asked.

"M-migraine. I'm fine." He stammered. 

"Here, wear these." Hunk offered his pair of orange-tinted sunglasses to Keith who took them gratefully. With a small thank you, he put on the glasses and out much of the sunlight and leaving the world looking dim and orange like a sunset. "Better?" Hunk asked. Keith replied with a small nod as he looked back out to the ocean, migraine slowly fading away. 

A few minutes later, Allura halted the boat to a stop just past the drop-off. "We're here. To make sure Lance wasn't seen by accident he'll only come to the boat when I call him, so he'll be just a moment. Why don't you go to the back of the boat to wait for him? Shiro already set up the viewing deck so you'll be closer to the water." The white-haired girl explained. With a nod, Keith grabbed his crutch and started hobbling his way to the back. Pidge and Hunk chose to stay at the front of the boat leaving Shiro to walk with his younger brother. 

Setting his crutch down, Keith slowly lowered himself onto the smooth white platform that hovered inches above the smooth waters. Shiro helped him sit before moving to stand behind him. The raven-haired boy had worn shorts so he could dip his feet into the cool liquid without ruining a pair of pants. It stung his bandaged foot a bit, but it was bearable for now. Behind him, Allura let out a shrill whistle that could be heard for miles.

Almost instantly, the water started churning near the front of the boat where Allura stood, and Lance emerged from the depths, a deep rumble emitting from his throat followed by a high pitched chirping noise. He hadn't seemed to notice Keith yet, but the human had sure noticed him. Remiving his sunglasses, a small smile graced over Keith's face and he looked fondly upon the massive whale creature. 

"I brought you a surprise~" Allura signed, speaking at the same time so the others knew what her hands were saying. The merman trilled curiously, looking at her up and down as if it was something she was holding. "No, I didn't bring you a snack. It's something better. Or perhaps, someone?" She asked with a teasing tone and a smile. The bright blue eyes widened greatly and suddenly Lance started looking around behind her. Keith almost laughed, he knew who Allura was talking about. 

It didn't take too long before the bright blue ocean eyes found who they were searching for. For a split second, the two locked eyes, filling each other gaze with one another, and Keith felt himself get pulled in by the blue depths that reminded him why he loved the ocean so much in the first place. 

A loud chirp came from Lance and for a moment he sounded more like an overexcited dolphin than a whale. The large mer maneuvered around the boat that was far smaller than he was and sunk down into the waves up to his nose right in front of where Keith sat. The commotion caused a bit of the saltwater to splash up onto the small platform, successfully soaking Keiths pants. 

Before he could even try sitting up, a giant nose was suddenly nuzzling against his body, massive purr sound emanating from Lance as the whale smiled with closed eyes, giving as much affection to the human as he could. The last time he had seen Keith, the boy was bleeding out and dying so to see him here ok, it was a massive relief to the whale. 

Keith let himself lean into the touch. The warmth seeping from his ocean friend was a pleasant welcome from the cold morning air that nipped at his pale skin. Using Lance as leverage like he had when he was hurt, the boy stood up and left his cane behind so he could give this merman the best damn hug he could offer. He had saved Keith's life and he wanted to make sure that Lance was rewarded properly. Keith rarely showed affection to people but this time he made an exception. 

"Hey buddy, did you miss me?" Keith asked with a small chuckle as Lance made a happy crooning pigeon noise at him. "Yeah I figured you did, I missed you too." Behind him, he could hear Hunk awing at them. Pidge quietly asked Allura if she could take a picture but was declined in case someone got into her phone and saw it. 

Shiro stood behind him, still a bit wary of the massive ocean beast. But he trusted his brother and Allura so he said and did nothing to interrupt the bonding moment they were having. 

After a bit longer of the two just holding leaning against each other, Lance pulled away a bit, opening his solid blue eyes, the sunlight reflecting on the simmering star like specs in his gaze. More water splashed onto Keiths feet as Lance raised both of his hands out of the water and then resting them palm up beside the platform. 

Getting the message clearly, Keith used the railing beside him for support as he started to step from the platform and down to Lance's hand. It was then that Shiro decided to intervene.

"Woah hold on a sec, I don't think that's such a good idea with your condition. Especially your foot. What.....what if he drops you or something?" The man fussed a bit, wringing his hands together nervously as he looked up at the massive behemoth.

"He won't drop me. I trust him." Keith stated calmly in hopes of relaxing his brother. 

"I know, and i don't doubt that. But with your injuries, you might get a migraine from the movement, or you could lose balance with your foot or something like that-" Keith rolled his eyes as his Shiro entered protective bro mode for the hundredth time that day. He was still only halfway onto Lance's hand and he could hear him whine a bit impatiently behind him.

"Takashi!" Another voice yelled. It was Allura. She had marched over and firmly clamped a hand onto his shoulder just above the prosthetic limb. He turned to her fast enough to have his white hair floof smack himself in the eyes and Keith chuckled a bit. Not a lot of people called Shiro by his first full name. Usually, it was only when he refused to listen or if he was in trouble. 

"You need to relax. Lance knows that Keith is still hurt, so he knows to be extremely careful with him. You have nothing to worry about. If Lance is good at anything, it's holding people. Trust me I know." The woman explained. 

Shiro looked at Keith, and the boy returned the gaze with one of his own, eyes pleading and begging to let him do this. After a moment, the man reluctantly sighed. "Fine. But only for a little bit ok? The doctor said not too much sunlight and I don't want you getting another migraine." He stated, shoulders dropping from their once tense position. 

With a smile, Keith looked up at Lance and carefully climbed the rest of the way into the whale mer's hand, settling down in the middle of the palm so he would be far from the edge. Once he was comfy, the boy nodded to the creature towering above him with a smile. slowly and gently, Lance cupped his other hand around him and backed away from the boat, putting a few meters between him and the floating vehicle. 

Now he had Keith all to himself.

Almost immediately, Lance was nuzzling him again, rubbing his nose and cheeks all over the tiny being with happy trilling noises that sounded like high pitched purring. Pidge and Hunk had moved around the boat and stood beside Shiro and Allura, all of them watching the scene unfold.

"What is he doing?" The small auburn haired teen asked. Hunk shrugged cluelessly.

"Lance is scenting him. Kind of like cats and dogs do. He's making Keith smell like him that way other animals know that he's claimed." Allura said, watching the two with a fond smile. Despite having known Lance for a shorter amount of time, the mer had picked Keith over her for a claim. She wasn't jelous, just surprised. 

"Wait, claim?" Shiro asked, tensing up a bit. "I am going to get him back after this, right?" He asked. Allura laughed at the question. 

"Of course you will. A scent claim is just Lance's way of saying that Keith is his favorite person. It's like a title I suppose. It's also a mark of protection when it comes to Lance's species, at least from what we know about him. Say for example he was out swimming and there was a shark or something nearby. They would smell Lance on him, and leave him alone because he's claimed. It's like a sacred bond. If you mess with a claimed person or creature, it's like breaking a law in their case. All animals behave like that." As she spoke, Shiro turned to watch once again as Lance continued to rub his face all over Keith.

"Huh, that's cool," Pidge commented. "How much else do you know about Lance's species?" She question. Her glasses started to slip off her nose and she hurried to push the too-big lenses back up to her face. 

"Unfortunately, not a lot. For the most part, he's just an overly affectionate carnivorous whale that's half human." The marine biologist explained. Years ago when she, her father, and Coran had first met Lance they had been clueless about anything. They didn't even know if he was dangerous or not. But when he had looked to Allura with a pleading look in his bright blue eyes, they knew that he was just like the rest of them once you get past the fact that he was half wild animal.

"What about his family? Or anything about his species?" Hunk asked Allura. 

"After we taught him basic sign language, he told us that he was separated from his original pod in a storm when he was very young. He wandered around trying to find them and ended up getting stuck on this beach years ago where I first met him. We haven't seen or heard anything about his species since then. After we got him unstuck and healed him we found a pod of normal whales that accepted him and he went on his way." A light breeze tousled Allura's hair as Lance let out a happy noise, content with his work. Keith's own hair now stuck at odd angles and he was laughing. With a frown, Allura realized he probably smelled like fish now.

"Wait, he was lost in a storm? Kind of like Keith was?" Pidge pointed out, looking up at the whale mer, Keith had turned the tables and now he was petting Lance along the bridge of his nose. "Maybe that's why he became so attached."

Shiro shrugged. "Most likely. In a way, they understand each other. Even if they can't talk to each other that easily." With a sigh, he realized that this was probably a permanent thing. Now that they knew of Lance's existence, Keith would most likely want to spend as much time with Lance as he could. The poor boy was already busy enough as it was with school and work. Allura might cut him some slack with his job though seeing as she was his manager and she knew the situation. 

Looking up again, Shiro saw that both boys had calmed down with the affection and Keith was just sitting against Lance with his eyes closed. Lance's eyes were half-lidded, open just enough to keep an eye on his tiny human and make sure he didn't fall. Keith was small compared to him, but he was hardly insignificant. 

"It's amazing, don't you think?" Allura asked quietly to Shiro. They had all gone silent, watching the two most unlikely people become closer than friends ever could. "Despite their vast differences, they still connected and formed an unbreakable bond. It's just wonderful, don't you think?" She leaned a bit, letting her head rest on the mans shoulder just above the bionic arm. She felt him nod a bit.

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty amazing." He replied, draping the metal arm over her shoulder gently. "Kind of like you and me huh?" He asked with a small smirk. "A cripple like me with someone as beautiful and perfect as you." The girl chuckled and nudged his ribs with her elbow.

"I think I'm gonna puke. Too much romance in one spot-" Pidge complained, fake gagging. 

"I think it's sweet~," Hunk said with dreamy eyes. "You'll meet your special someone someday and then you'll see how it feels." He stated. Pidge rolled her eyes in disbelief with a look that said 'like that'll ever happen' as clear as day. 

"You know we can hear you guys, right?" Keith asked the group of bystanders. The four of them immediately looked away, pretending as if nothing had happened. "Besides, we're just friends. I think dating a whale would be kind of difficult."

 

\---2 months later---

 

And difficult it was. The fact that Lance seemed adamant about trying to impress Keith on a daily basis only made it harder. Luckily by now Keith was finished with school and was injury free, but it was still hard to hide a giant whale merman even with all of his free time. Allura had officially dubbed him Lance's caretaker so his job was literally to keep an eye on Lance. Since he worked at the marine facility anyways, his position had been moved to bay watch so literally, all of his time outside of sleeping was spent with Lance in the water.

After a few weeks, Lance had started finding and leaving gifts for Keith. Massive shells, dead fish, old rusty human junk, and one time he had brought him a weird looking crab that was still alive and tried to pinch the black haired boy. Allura had unfortunately got a video of it and kept it as blackmail. Afterwards, he had questioned his manager, asking the white-haired tyrant if she knew anything about the strange gifts. After hours of useless guessing, Pidge had shown up and suggested that the mer was trying to court or impress him. That left Keith a blushing mess, but it made sense. The whale did like spending time with him. Even when he had to go home for the night, Lance had often managed to just keep him overnight. After a while, Keith just started going back to the beach at night anyway just to please the whale.

More than once Shiro or Allura had walked outside too find Lance floating around on his back with a hand covering the tiny human body curled up under his chin or on his chest, napping peacefully. On the bright side, Lance didn't mind people walking on him like he was solid ground so that made it easy to get Keith when he was found like that. Shiro never approved, but somehow Keith always managed to sneak out of the house and ride his bike down to the docks where Lance was always eagerly awaiting him. He had even tried staying up all night to catch the little brat, but he always managed to slip away unnoticed. 

Tonight was one of those nights. 

It was nearly 11 at night when Keith 'woke up' from his feigned act of sleep and slipped on some swim shorts and a loose sweater. It was a bit chilly for a summer night, but that wasn't stopping him. Peeking through his partially open bedroom door, he saw Shiro wide awake and waiting on the couch. With a smirk, he knew tonight would be an easy night to get out. 

Silently shutting the door (He oiled the hinges every day to prevent creaking and squeaks) he made his way over to his window. As quiet as possible, he slipped it open, a light breeze pushing its way into the room and through his midnight black hair. Shiro had tried putting a screen up to keep him from using the window, but his brother had outsmarted him and found a way to wiggle it loose enough to slip out without breaking it. 

Once the screen was moved, he climbed over the sill, bare feet settling into the grass below the window as he slowly moved from the house. Once out, he shut the window behind him and put the screen back in the right place. 

Now home free, Keith snuck over to the garage and grabbed his bike before hopping on and speeding down the street, letting the moon and stars light his way.

Soon he turned off of the roads and onto a small dirt path that went past the facility and straight to the boat docks where his goal awaited for him. The ride was a bit bumpy and made his feet ache a bit from digging into the pedals (He really needed to buy some sandals) but it was worth it and he kept going strong, used to the rough ride.

Once to the docks, he abandoned his bike in the usual spot and dashed down to the ends of the wooden path. He passed many boats of all shapes and sizes, all belonging to the facility. There was a specific one he was looking for. Lance was far too large to come to the dock without risk of his getting stuck in the sand, so instead, Keith opted to go out to him.

At the end of the dock floated a small wood and iron boat with a single motor and 2 back up paddles. Pidge and Hunk had built the motor for him to be completely silent and had even painted the boat black for him so it would be well hidden during his midnight trips. It wasn't just Shiro and Allura he had to hide from. If anyone outside of their immediate friend group saw him, no one even dares mention what might happen to him. 

With a small grunt of effort, he jumped down into the boat. Out of breath, he flopped a bit and nearly tipped the boat. A pounding in the back of his skull reminded him that if he didn't slow down he could still get migraines. Unfortunately for him, those were a permanent thing due to the trauma he had gone through 2 months ago.

And so, the boy waited, sitting in the boat surrounded by the fast dark ocean for a few minutes to let his heart rate drop back to a normal pace. Once that was done, he turned on the silent motor of the boat he appropriately named 'ghost' and sped out into the night. All he had to do was head straight out for a few minutes until he passed the dropout and then call for the majestic creature that had claimed him.

After a few minuted of smooth sailing on moonlit reflective waters, a small beeper that Pidge had attached to the boat went off signalling that he had reached his destination. Now warm from the exertion of getting out here Keith had to remove his sweater, leaving him in a white tank top and deep red swim shorts. 

"Alright, here we go." He said to himself before cupping both hands around and over his mouth. With a deep breath, he flew into his pale ghostly hands and created a low whistle that sounded like a loud drawn out owl hoot. Owls weren't uncommon in this area so it was a perfect way to get a certain whales attention without attracting nighttime fishers or curious nighttime beachgoers. 

The call echoed across the water, sounding deep and ominous in the silence. It bounced back a few times before a new noise was heard. Turning around, Keith smile as the water below him started to glow a bright blue color and a deep note to reflect his own was wailed back at him. The surface rippled a bit before a massive mop of soaking wet brown hair and tan skin emerged from the depths.

"Hey, Lance." Keith greeted, signing the words as he spoke and leaned on the side of the boat as far as he could without tipping the small floating vessel. Allura had taught him sign language so he could communicate better with Lance. He still wasn't the best at it, but it was enough. He knew the majority of the basics like yes, no, and other things of the sort. Pidge had tried getting Allura to teach her all of the swear words but being a responsible adult and mom friend, Allura had declined her request. That didn't stop her from googling it though and then teaching them all to Keith. 

With a happy crooning sound, Lance raised his hands out of the water and held them beside the boat. LIke a practiced routine, the black haired boy hopped from the small boat and onto the hands without tripping or stumbling. The marks on Lance's tail glowed brightly in the deep water below him illuminating both of them in an eerie dim light that reflected like the ceiling of an indoor pool. 

Once Keith was safely in the palm of his hands, Lance sank back down into the water up to his nose, hands, and Keith just a few feet from the surface of the water. As it turns out, humans get cold very easily so they kept swimming together for daylight activities while Keith was 'working'. If Keith swam every night with him then the small boy would surely get sick.

"Did you bring another gift with you?" Keith questioned with a smirk, signing the words with his hands as he spoke. ALmost every night the mer had brought him something.

A tiny blush went across the whale's face as he let out a low deep noise. He had been caught red-handed yet again. Keith scooted over onto one hand while Lance lifted the other away and reached up to his mouth. Since he didn't have a bag or anything to stash stuff in, he always held the little trinkets and gifts between his massive teeth. At first, Keith thought that Lance had eaten the small things and then hacked them up later, but it was just his odd way of carrying stuff.

Though on the downside that meant his little surprises always came with a crap ton of drool. Like now for example.

Using his fingernails, Lance gently grabbed the small object he had wedged between his razor-sharp shark-like teeth and popped it free. It was too dark for Keith to see it just yet, but from what he could see it was fairly small. He wondered how Lance even found the stiff sometimes. 

Gently he handed the saliva covered object to his claimed one who took it from his grip with a forced smile. Once Keith could see the object now in his own hands, the boy's jaw dropped in awe. It was his knife he had lost 2 months ago when his ship had been wrecked. 

"Holy crap how did you find this!?" Keith asked incredulously as he used the bottom of his tank top to wipe away the drool and spit from the leather sheath. Of course, Lance didn't understand him, but he seemed happy that Keith liked his gift. Massive blue eyes watched as Keith removed the dark brown casing and revealed the silvery metal blade that shimmered in the moonlight. "I can't believe you found it," Keith whispered to himself with a smile. Putting the knife back into the sheath, he tossed the blade into the small boat he had come here in so he wouldn't lose it again. 

Once the knife was safe in the boat, Keith felt himself yawn, breath coming out in a puff of fog, showing just how chilly it had gotten. It was a bit colder than it typically was on a summer night in this area, and Keith worried he would have to call it quits to spend the night with Lance tonight.

Apparently, he had started shivering because the mer pulled him closer, cupping his hands to his chest, sandwiching Keith between his collarbone and warm hands. "Dude, you're squishing me." He commented dryly, gently shoving against the torso he was pressed against. Lance loosened his grip but didn't move any more than that.

"I should probably head home. It's too cold for me to stay out here tonight." He said, signing to his pal the best he could while being squished. Lance got the message, but just trilled defiantly and covered Keith's whole body with his hands, blocking him from sight completely. Now sealed in complete humid darkness, Keith let out a groan. The whale was being difficult again. "Come on Lance put me down. I've gotta go home." He stated loudly, poking at his chest. The merman didn't release him.

"Seriously?" Keith's face deadpanned as he sighed with frustration. Ever since the two had become more comfortable with each other, Lance's true playful personality had started to show and it was driving Keith crazy. The mer refused to listen to anything he said or told him to do, and during the day he would splash Keith a lot or 'accidentally' bum hi boat and make him fall in the water. One time Shiro had tagged along and he was tossed into the water as well. That didn't happen a second time since he nearly ruined the man's prosthetic arm.

Keith was perfectly ok to be soaked and Lance loved to take advantage of that. But now? He was going to do the exact opposite. He wouldn't let Keith go anywhere near the water. Which meant nowhere near his boat either. 

"Ugh. Fine. At least get my sweater for me so I don't freeze." A shuffling noise could be heard outside of Keiths temporary prison before a sweater was dropped down on top of him. "Thanks-" He stated, slipping the black fabric on. He felt Lance start swimming on his back to keep Keith dry as he moved through the water closer to shore. On nights like these when Keith spent the night the whale would make sure to put his boat back for him so it wasn't lost at sea. Once the boat was nudged in the direction of the docks and the current was pulling it the rest of the way, Lance swam back out to deeper waters with Keith still tucked against his torso under his hands. 

That was another thing Keith had realized about the whale. He was extremely possessive when it came to Keith. One time Pidge was hanging out with him and she had jumped on top of Keith. When she had collided with him, Lance had snarled at her, a low guttural noise that had Pidge backing away fearfully. And the next day he acted like nothing had happened. Allura had brushed it off, saying that Lance was just being overprotective since he saw Keith as small and fragile.

It's sure didn't feel like he was being treated as fragile the way that Lance practically manhandled him and refused to put him down half the time. Like now for example. 

"You really are a pain in the ass, you know that right?" Keith asked once Lance had found a spot to float around in. His reply was a series of clicks that formed into a small chuckle that Keith just knew came with a smug grin. Sighing in defeat, Keith let his head fall to the tanned skin below him.

Now that he had given up trying to escape, Lance had finally removed one of his hands from on top of Keith. One remained over the boy's small form as a giant flesh blanket to protect the human from the night's chilly air. Now able to see again, Keith rolled over to lay on his stomach and look at Lance's face with a soft fond smile. The mer smiled right back at him and gently used his thumb to pet Keith, running the massive digit over his jet black hair in a soothing manner. 

It was the moments like these that reminded Keith why he liked the ocean so much. It was strong, powerful, and deadly. But all at the same time it was peaceful and beautiful, stunning in every way possible. It was so full of gorgeous surprises that were never dull or boring to him. Something with the potential to be so destructive had the ability to just cradle him close and send him into a peaceful frame of mind.

In a way, Lance was like the ocean, and Keith loved the ocean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading my story! I'm not sure if I will continue this as a series or not, but I do have some ideas!   
> Also feel free to draw fanart if you want! Just be sure to let me see it so I can post it on my Tumblr page so everyone can see it!

**Author's Note:**

> The waves are speaking to you, can you hear them sing?


End file.
